Make a Move
by Farley Drexel
Summary: Although they had a chance at being together, Jimmy and Cindy spurned it. Four years later, they have become best friends, but Jimmy has fallen madly in love with Cindy. Now, Jimmy must cook up all kinds of crazy schemes in what will be his greatest quest yet. To make a move on Cindy Vortex.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It all happened so fast that once he realized what was occurring, it seemed to go by in slow motion. Jimmy didn't quite know what possessed him to kiss Cindy. Rather, he might have known _what _possessed him to kiss her, but he didn't know what motivated him to commit the act at that particular moment. Whatever the reason, after Libby had alerted the entire town of his and Cindy's budding relationship, and after he and the blonde had one of their moments in the alley, when they were virtually alone, Jimmy saw his opportunity and took it. He took it right after the idea popped into his mind, before he had the chance to rationalize it, or second-guess it. After he had kissed her, he went on his way, overcome with giddiness, until Cindy caught up with him and grabbed him by the hand. They continued walking this way, a safe distance from the others, with a million-in-one happy thoughts coursing inside their heads.

Jimmy's heart was beating so rapidly after those first seconds of hand-holding, he thought he might go into cardiac arrest. He was finally doing the thing he had relegated to the darkest, most deeply buried corners of his daydreams. He was acting out his borderline subconscious feelings for Cindy. The feel of her palm against his, the light scent of her jasmine shampoo, the way her flaxen hair drifted in the air, and the way the moonlight poured on her skin, they were all things that Jimmy had never let himself fully enjoy before. Many of these feelings were beyond the scope of his pre-adolescent mindset and physiology, but he was at the threshold. The first rumblings of the hormonal influx to come were making themselves known.

It was after these first seconds, those moments of unfiltered, unfathomable bliss, that reality struck. Jimmy and Cindy had been walking at a steady clip behind their friends, but as they slowed down their pace, the pieces finally settled. They had gone from worst enemies, to a strange love-hate kind of relationship, to now. The trouble was, now that they stopped to really think about it, they weren't quite sure what 'now' was. What were they at this moment, holding hands, too excited to speak, and too embarrassed to look at one another? What had been going on this whole past week, as they not only avoided arguing with one another, but actually worked together in their goal to stop Libby? What had been going on these past several months, as they had more and more of their little moments together, bordering on the romantic but never quite crossing that line?

What was happening to Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex?

Jimmy didn't want to speak. He had been enjoying the closeness, the feeling of Cindy these past moments. A terrified expression had broken out on his face. As discreetly as possible, he glanced at Cindy out of the corner of his eye. It appeared that Cindy was undergoing the same thought process as Jimmy, judging from the tense lines written on her countenance, which had replaced the previously joyful ones. This validated Jimmy's burgeoning discomfort.

The boy genius tried swallowing, but found that his throat was desert dry. He tried to calm himself by focusing on the feel of Cindy's hand. Neither had uttered a syllable since the kiss, and with each passing second, the silence was growing increasingly unbearable. Someone had to say something. Anything.

"S-So, Cindy?"

"Y-Yeah, J-J-Jimmy?"

Jimmy swore he felt Cindy's pulse racing through her palm. The beats came too quickly to count. Her anxiety was infectious, and he felt his own amplifying in response. _Bam-bam-bam_, went their heartbeats. They were in perfect sync with one another, body and mind. Pulses racing. Palms sweating. Thoughts galloping. Heads spinning. This neurotic dance went on, and on and on, until, finally, when Jimmy decided he had had enough and was going to say something even if it killed him, he turned to Cindy and–

"Hey you guys, what's taking so long?"

He was too late. Up a few meters ahead, Libby had stopped walking. Sheen was by her side and getting to his feet, having finally recovered from being dropped by Cork Shimatzu. It didn't take long for both to digest the scene in front of them. Even in his woozy state, Sheen's eyes immediately went to Jimmy and Cindy's interlocked hands, which they held near their waistlines. Libby and Sheen simply stared at the pair, lost in the initial stages of shock.

Jimmy and Cindy let go of each other.

"What's…going on?"

The genius and the blonde glanced at each other, then back at Libby, then back at each other, and then finally back at Libby. They shuffled their feet, scratched the back of their necks, and looked around in every direction that didn't face Libby or each other.

"Uh," Jimmy said.

"We, uh," Cindy began.

Libby crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her friends. If she allowed it, they would keep up this charade all night. "I said…'what's going on'?"

"What do you mean 'what's going on'?" Sheen shouted. He gestured with both hands at Jimmy and Cindy, and then shot Libby a pointed look. "Can't you see?" He gave Jimmy and Cindy a sidelong glance, and then, in a not-so-quiet whisper, cupped his hand over his mouth and leaned into Libby's ear to say: "It's finally happened." He shot his friends another quick glance, and proceeded to shout in Libby's ear: "It's the first sign of the apocalypse!"

Libby jumped away from Sheen, eyeballs spinning, fingering her auditory canal. She glared daggers at the loud boy before removing her finger and examining Jimmy and Cindy. The puzzled, suspicious gleam had re-inhabited her eyes.

"How do we tell our classmates?" Sheen wailed. He dropped to his knees and grabbed a hold of Libby's pant leg, where he buried his face into the fabric. "I'm too young to die!"

Libby raised her eyebrows. She shot her two friends an appraising look. "Well?"

"We," Cindy began, but she didn't finish her sentence. She grimaced and lowered her head, unable to find her voice.

Libby and Sheen shifted their attention to Jimmy. As Jimmy felt their eyes bore into him, his brain went into overdrive. Despite all the solutions he concocted, a separate, higher component of his consciousness told him there were only two responses. Either he could declare his feelings for Cindy, and settle things once-and-for-all, or he could make up some excuse so that hopefully, at some point, he and Cindy could unveil their feelings, both to each other and their peers. As his mind flew through the options, that separate, higher component became larger and larger, until it eventually overtook his entire skull.

He had to make a decision.

"We," he said, grimacing like Cindy had before him. It was now or never. He forced his conflicted expression into a joyful one and laughed. "We're just friends!"

Although he made himself appear like he was staring and Libby and Sheen when he said this, he was actually studying Cindy out of his periphery. They didn't have anytime to talk after the kiss, and he had to see her reaction. He needed to know whether he had said the right thing, or the wrong thing.

In the years that followed, Jimmy would go over this moment on countless occasions inside his head. No matter how many times he analyzed it however, he couldn't be sure about what had transpired. Maybe it was a trick of the moonlight, but Jimmy thought that, just as his gaze flicked at Cindy, her face twitched. Jimmy knew that a facial twitch could be interpreted in multiple ways, but at that moment, he got the distinct impression that Cindy's face twitched due to shock, and not the good kind. This was the kind of shock one experienced when something unexpected happened, the kind of something that displeased them, even if they didn't want to show it. It was this kind of twitch that Jimmy thought he saw, as he caught his first glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye.

Whether the twitch was real or unreal, it didn't seem to matter. Not after the way the coming scene unfolded.

"Yeah!" Cindy said in her normal confident and slightly haughty manner. She shared a grin with Jimmy and placed her hands on her hips. She had decided to back him up after all. "What were you guys thinking; that we're going to start going out of something?" The blonde chuckled, and she and Jimmy exchanged another amused glance.

"Uh," Libby said, not sounding the least bit convinced, "then what was with that whole hand-holding a second ago?"

"Hand-holding?" Cindy asked, as if this were a very silly idea.

"I have eyes you know," Libby said.

"We weren't holding hands," Jimmy said. He rummaged around in his pockets, hoping he could find something to use as his alibi. He fought to suppress a grin as his fingers enclosed around a small tube of liquid. He fished out the tube and held it up so Libby could see. "I was just applying some of my Neutron cream."

Libby's eyebrows lifted even further. "Neutron cream?"

"Yeah!" Cindy vigorously answered. "All that time as anchors with our hands on that wooden desk. It can really dry out your skin!" Cindy flexed her hand, as if to demonstrate how moist her palms had become. "Thanks Jimmy, that really did the trick."

Libby frowned. "Why would Jimmy need to invent a skin moisturizer? It would probably be cheaper and easier to pick some up at the Retro-Drug."

"Mine's longer-lasting," Jimmy said. "I invented it because, you know, working in the lab, operating equipment, going through latex gloves…I've gotten to the point where I always have it on me."

"And why'd you share yours with Cindy?" Libby inquired. Her steady, discerning gaze never left her two friends. "I thought you hated each other."

"We don't!" Jimmy blurted. He shrank back when he realized how strongly his words had come out. Hoping to reverse the damage, he meekly added: "At least, not anymore."

"Jimmy's right," Cindy said. All eyes went to her. It was not because of what she said, but rather how she said it. Unlike the defensive rebuttals her and Jimmy had uttered thus far, Cindy now sounded calm and sincere. It would be hard not to believe what she said in her current tone of voice. "Look, I know there's been plenty of rumors going around about me and Jimmy." Cindy's eyes hardened. "Mostly thanks to you."

Libby let out an uneasy laugh. Cindy had her there.

"But," Cindy continued, "none of it's true." She turned to her right to stare at Jimmy. She held his gaze for a moment. In that time, as Jimmy bore into those green pools of light, he found her expression indecipherable. "Jimmy and I were arch-rivals for a long time, but over this past year…things changed."

Jimmy detected deep emotion bubbling beneath those words.

"I'm not saying that there haven't been any, well, questionable moments between us. I'm just saying that going from worst enemies the way we did, it was a really big change. Sometimes it was a little confusing, understanding what that change meant, but I think all it means is that Jimmy and I…"

The blonde trailed off, causing a near-panic in Jimmy. His heart was once again drumming against his chest. He had no idea what Cindy was going to say next. Was she going to go back on what she had said before, and say something that would forever change the dynamics within their group? Was she going to confess feelings for him, feelings that she had hinted at but never truly confirmed? If she did, he'd have virtually no choice but to respond. Or, was she going to–

"Jimmy and I have just become friends."

Once the words had been said, they hung in the air, hovering over the group of four. Cindy hadn't said the other thing they had all been pondering, but her statement was no less profound. Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex had become friends? It was preposterous. It was insane. It was such a mind-numbing notion that the only thing a person could say in response was that–

"It's the _second_ sign of the apocalypse!" Sheen cried. He had gotten to his feet during Jimmy, Cindy, and Libby's conversation, and was now mashing his face against Libby's shirtsleeve, grinding his head left and right and slamming his fist on her back. "Why must the good die young?" he howled, striking Libby in between words.

"It's gonna be an apocalypse for you if you keep that up!" Libby snapped.

Sheen promptly stepped away from Libby and stood up fully erect, all evidence of tears gone.

Libby returned her attention to Cindy. She eyed her best friend, something in her still not believing all of the blonde's story, but at the same time wanting to trust her. She explored her friend's eyes, not able to find a trace of dishonesty in them. Libby sighed, her mind coming to a decision.

"Alright, I believe you." Her gaze went to the side and she chuckled. "Guess it does make sense. You both do get pretty dorky when it comes to science and stuff."

"We do not!" Jimmy and Cindy protested.

Libby just stared at them. "Know any other kids who followed last year's world conference in paleontology?"

Jimmy and Cindy's defiance faded, slowly replaced by embarrassment.

"I thought so." Libby turned to the lanky boy standing next to her. "C'mon Sheen. Let's go."

Sheen happily trotted alongside Libby. He hoped that the rest of the night would be smooth sailing from here on out. "So what're we gonna do next?"

Libby's tone was happier than a bird at dawn. "Well I don't know about our two friends," she said, gesturing behind them at Jimmy and Cindy, "but you and _I_," Libby seized Sheen by the ear and dragged him down to her level, "need to have a little talk about when it's appropriate for you to spaz out!"

"Al-right!" Sheen cheered, hoping to win Libby over with optimism. "Will this make us happy?"

"No, it won't."

Sheen yelped as Libby painfully squeezed his ear and began hollering angry words, despite their close proximity. The pair continued their heated exchange as they walked, all but oblivious to the outside world.

Now that Libby and Sheen were distracted, Jimmy and Cindy were left where they had only started a few minutes before. Alone. Neither made eye contact, nor did one of them try and walk off, abandoning the other. It was a standstill, an awkward aftermath to what had formerly been a ground-breaking and blissful moment. They had shared brief instances of physical affection, but neither had confirmed their feelings to the other. Nevertheless, now that they had settled things between their friends, they couldn't go back on their word.

"Well, let's get a move on Neutron!" Cindy suddenly chirped. She was grinning at Jimmy, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "We all know we're going to end up goofing off in your lab anyway. Might as well get there first."

Jimmy stared at Cindy. He didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. So this was going to be it then? He thought he had finally come to terms with his feelings for Cindy, but before he could fully understand them, and before he could know how Cindy really felt about him, they had agreed to sweep it under the rug. They would become friends, and it would certainly be different from now on, but they had gone back across the line as soon as they had passed it. And who knew how long it would be before they approached that line again.

Jimmy couldn't help but feel a smudge of disappointment. _Why didn't I make a move?_

"Earth to freak-brain!" Cindy said, jolting Jimmy out of his thoughts. The genius regarded her once more, finding that although she had called him by one of her formerly insulting nicknames, she was looking at him now with something akin to endearment. "Didn't you hear what I said? Let's go!"

Jimmy hesitated one last time. His next action could decide what his future with Cindy would be for a long time to come. He waited, waited, and waited, until he ran out of time.

"Right behind you!" Jimmy replied. He had almost reached out for Cindy's hand when he remembered that they were only friends. Cindy smiled at him and he smiled back. Although he still harbored that smattering of regret, he thought that maybe, walking next to Cindy and enjoying her presence, though only to a certain degree, wasn't such a bad outcome after all. He laughed out loud. Cindy soon joined his laughter with her own.

"Race you there?" Jimmy asked.

Cindy chortled. "You're goin' down Puke-tron!"

The two took off. Formerly enemies, briefly romantic interests, and now friends. They laughed as they raced each other, neither wanting to lose, but both far too amused to focus on proper form. All the while, and in the four years that followed, Jimmy could never quite vanquish that niggling voice, the one that told that maybe, just maybe, he and Cindy had made the wrong decision.

"By the way," Cindy said, huffing and puffing, "what was in that tube you showed Libby?"

Jimmy laughed as he struggled to keep up with the blonde. "Lubricant for Goddard. Comes in handy when the two of us are on the go."

Cindy giggled. "Good one Neutron."

"Thanks," Jimmy said. He suddenly frowned as a thought came to mind. "Wait, did we forget someone?"

**Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.**

**Author's Note:**

**I'd like to take a moment to thank all the people who reviewed my last story, and with whom I've communicated in general here on the JN site. You guys have given me such useful feedback, and I think you're all, as Corky Shimatzu would say, superstars! You all have really given me motivation to write, and have made my stay in the JN fandom a happy one.**

**Despite the more serious prologue, this story is definitely going to be a romantic comedy; expect some silliness ahead! Not that there won't be serious moments of course. I imagine this prologue will be as serious as the tone of this story will get however. I included it because I felt it nicely sets up the story I want to tell.**

**We'll see how it goes, but I'll try and update on at least a weekly basis.**


	2. Libby's Warning

**Libby's Warning**

_Four years later…_

It had taken many months of hard work, but Jimmy's efforts had finally paid off. Once he reached puberty, Jimmy found that getting up in the morning was quite possibly the most difficult task known to mankind. To assist himself in this daily struggle, he spent many long nights in the lab, searching for the perfect alarm. Jimmy was well aware of the concept of negative reinforcement, and how it caused people to regard their alarms with disdain, and even fear. To counteract this, Jimmy sought to develop an alarm that was not only pleasant, but one that he actually looked forward to. So it was thought that once Jimmy had succeeded in this endeavor, he had cured himself of all early-morning issues.

Unfortunately for Jimmy, on this particular morning, he would not wake up to his alarm. Instead of hearing the sweet yet resonant rendition of Westminster's Chimes he had programmed into his special clock, he heard a loud voice shouting directly above him. Instead of the gentle, artificial light that emanated from his clock onto his face, he was assaulted by a harsh, sudden burst of natural sunlight. And instead of his blankets being slowly slipped of his body by a careful pair of robotic hands, his blankets were ripped off by a rough pair of human ones.

"Wake up Neutron, your lab's on fire!"

Jimmy burst awake and shot upright in his bed, eyes bulging and chest heaving. Even during unconsciousness, he only needed to hear that dreaded phrase once. Jimmy rolled off his mattress and fell unceremoniously to the floor. Ignoring the pain from his landing, he scrambled to his hands and feet and half-ran, half-crawled toward the door. He'd enter the lab from the clubhouse entrance since he didn't know where the fire had broken out.

"Quick, you'll need these!"

Jimmy turned around just in time to catch a pair of boxers floating through the air. They were green with yellow ducks on them, but he didn't care. He needed something to beat at the flames.

The boy genius had nearly exited his room when suddenly, he stopped. He had been in such a rush to save his lab that he hadn't taken a moment to consider the circumstances. It was a Friday morning. It was the first day of summer vacation. He had been roused out of bed at an earlier time than expected. He wasn't working with any flammable chemicals. In fact, last year he had revamped the lab so that it had an automatic fire extinguishing system. On top of that, he developed a clear, non-toxic flame retardant that he sprayed over every nook and cranny of the place. And if that wasn't enough…

Jimmy's train of thought derailed as he realized what was behind this latest morning mayhem. Standing next to his bed, with her arms crossed and a pleased-as-punch smile plastered across her features, was Cindy Vortex.

Jimmy sighed, feeling his anxiety ebb away. It was just Cindy. He had almost accepted the notion when reality hit. He was suddenly aware that he was standing in his doorway, wearing nothing but boxers, and that a girl was in his room. And not just any girl.

"Cindy, what–" Jimmy's face went beet red as he finally got out the words "–WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

"Oh, I live here now," Cindy said, taking great pleasure in Jimmy's apoplectic reaction. "My mom and dad moved to Chicago, so your parents said I could stay here with you."

"Your parents live across the street, I can see their cars through the window!"

Jimmy jabbed a finger at his bedroom window, which he and Cindy could see through now that the latter had pulled back the curtains. Jimmy's face scrunched up even tighter when he realized that anyone walking down the street could peek through and see him in his current state of undress. He glanced at the duck boxers he was holding in his hand, comprehension finally dawning on him.

"You were in my underwear drawer?" he shouted at Cindy.

The blonde's infuriating smile only widened. "Yeah, Fridays and Saturdays are my cross-dressing days. It helps give me that spice of life feeling, know what I mean?"

"Never mind that," Jimmy snapped. He throw his boxers to the floor, unsure of whether he was truly angry, or just embarrassed. "Who let you in my room?"

"I let me in your room," Cindy replied, still acting like it was no big deal.

Jimmy's brows knitted together in panic. A horrifying thought occurred to him. He quickly took a step forward, turned around, and slammed his door shut. "What if one of my parents sees you?" he seethed. "Do you have any idea what this looks like?"

There was a knocking on Jimmy's door, and then, without warning, it opened. Mrs. Neutron was standing in the hall, bearing an armful of freshly laundered boxers.

"Here you go sweetie," Judy said, handing Jimmy six pairs of underpants. "I think we'll have to go to the mall again this weekend. These ones are getting awfully small on you."

As if Jimmy's morning couldn't get any worse, Judy poked her head above Jimmy's shoulder and smiled. "Oh, good morning Cindy."

"Good morning Mrs. Neutron," Cindy said in the voice she used to win over her teachers.

Jimmy didn't buy that precious smile for a second.

"You two are off to an early start this morning."

"First day of summer vacation. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts."

"Oh, I remember the days."

Judy suddenly frowned. She took stock of the situation, the fact that Cindy was unexpectedly in Jimmy's room, next to his bed, and the fact that Jimmy was standing near the door, breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and wearing nothing but a pair of underwear. Judy narrowed her eyes at her son.

"Young man, what's going on here?" she asked him. Her maternal gaze probed her son. "Are you…doing something you shouldn't be doing?"

Jimmy's blue eyes went as wide as dinner plates. He desperately waved his hands in front of his mother. "It's not what it looks like mom, I swear! No one's doing anything!"

"Mm-hm," Judy said in a doubtful tone, her eyes sweeping down Jimmy's scantily clad figure. "If you're bringing friends in your room, then I want this door kept open." She then shot Cindy a kind look. "Not that I don't trust you Cindy," she said, on the verge of laughter. Her gaze then switched back to Jimmy, her eyes becoming noticeably less friendly. "This one on the other I'm not so sure of. He's been very hormonal lately."

Judy held Jimmy's gaze for moment longer and then disappeared down the hall, leaving her son feeling very sulky, and very embarrassed. It was a while before Jimmy could turn around and face Cindy. The blonde's boisterous laughter gave him the motivation he needed.

The angrier Jimmy looked at his friend, the harder she laughed. "Best…morning…ever," she chuckled, wiping away a tear.

Jimmy bent over and snatched his many pairs of boxers off the ground. He stalked over toward Cindy, mad as a hornet.

"If you're not out of my room in five seconds…"

Cindy grin only grew bigger. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Help, Mrs. Neutron! I told him to stop but he just won't take no for an answer!"

"Quiet," Jimmy snapped.

"And he's trying to gag me too!"

Jimmy sighed, shaking his head. He yanked open his dresser drawer and stuffed the boxers inside, before slamming it shut. He was about to bump his way past Cindy when he saw that she was no longer standing next to his bed. Jimmy's flushed features changed from beet red, to an even brighter shade of cherry.

"You're in my closet?" he hollered.

"Hmm, what should I wear today?" Cindy said, like she was performing for an audience. The blonde riffed through several pairs of Jimmy's pants before selecting a pair of blue jeans. To Jimmy's horror, after she removed them from the hanger, she actually began putting them on.

"Gimme those!"

Jimmy swiped his jeans from Cindy and furiously stuck his leg inside them. He was about to put his second leg through when he realized that he had them on backwards. Cursing under his breath, Jimmy tore off the pants, flipped them around, and began putting them on the proper way.

"Don't forget your shirt."

Jimmy was about to comment when said object landed on his head, obscuring his vision. He shook the shirt off so he could finish buttoning and zipping his jeans, and then picked the shirt up off the floor. He struggled, as always, to pull it past his overlarge head.

"Would it kill you to update your wardrobe?" Cindy said, gesturing at Jimmy's closet. Hanging on the racks were all of Jimmy's clothes, ninety percent of which were red tops and blue jeans.

"I'm a scientist Cindy," Jimmy said, his head finally popping through his shirt. "Not a fashion icon."

"I'm just saying," Cindy said. "You haven't changed your style since fifth grade."

"Well maybe if you minimized your time worrying about outfits like me, you wouldn't rank second in the class. Again!"

Cindy pointed a finger at Jimmy. "Who got the top score on our last American Literature exam? That's what I thought."

"I was busy writing a review article for _Nature_," Jimmy said as he jogged over to his desk. He always kept his valuables in the top drawer while he slept. "Besides, who needs to know about Ernest Hemingway when you plan on leading the world's next scientific revolution? Now let's see…" Jimmy muttered to himself as he picked through the contents of his drawer. It was in dire need of a serious cleanup. "Got my wallet, my watch, Goddard's lubricant, and…aha. House key."

Jimmy collected the items out of his drawer and stuffed them in his pockets. "So anyway," he said, making sure his belongings were snug and secure. "Why'd you wake me up so early?"

The anger was gone from Jimmy's voice, replaced by plain curiosity. These days, he and Cindy mixed arguments with normal conversation like it was perfectly natural. It was one of the many things that made them two of Retroville's most unique teenagers.

"'Cause Libby, Sheen, and Carl are already at the Candy Bar, and we're gonna be late."

"I told you we could sleep in today." Jimmy flashed Cindy a smile. It was a smile he only reserved for one thing. "To celebrate the first day of summer, we're gonna try out my latest invention."

"Which is why I woke us up early," Cindy said. She and Jimmy began walking out the door. "Since when do your latest inventions ever work?" she finished.

Jimmy jutted his lower lip. "My success ratio is significantly higher than it was four years ago, and I've got repeated-measures statistics to prove it."

"Like what, a measly paired t-test?"

As the duo's banter moved further and further away, Goddard finally settled himself at the foot of Jimmy's bed. Once again, those two had caused such a ruckus that they jolted him out of his sleep cycle. Goddard wasn't one for complaining, but over the years he had grown accustomed to waking up at ten am on weekends and vacation days, and he didn't like it when this pattern was disrupted. Giving a final irritated glance, the mechanical canine drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Alright," Jimmy said at long last. "Shoes on?"

"Check."

"Super-adhesive velcro straps activated?"

"Check."

"Backup shoelaces tied?"

"Check."

"Wind-resistant goggles installed?"

Jimmy and Cindy exchanged a glance. They were both wearing a pair of thick, albeit clear, plastic goggles that almost completely sealed their eyes from the outside environment. A black elastic band was tightly wrapped around the back of their heads. Cindy nodded and gave Jimmy the thumbs-up. "Check."

"All right Vortex," Jimmy said. He and Cindy were standing on the sidewalk next to his front lawn, hands clenched into fists, knees bent. The sky over them was a clear blue. "Prepare for takeoff."

"These new shoes of yours better be fast," Cindy said. She peered down at her feet, which were hidden inside a rather awkward-looking, bulky pair of sneakers. Etched onto the back and sides was a familiar atomic insignia.

"I already told you Cindy," Jimmy said. "These shoes are up to ten times faster than the ones I made when we did Macbeth in Space. We'll be at the Candy Bar in no time."

"These shoes of yours better get us to breakfast in time."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. He rotated his watch so Cindy could see. "It's only nine-thirty. Depending on the amount of wind-resistance we meet, we should get there in a few minutes. Worst-comes-to-worst, I'm pretty sure we can run there and still make it before ten."

"These shoes of yours better not get us killed."

"Alright, I get it!" Jimmy looked at Cindy, wishing he could relay his thoughts to her via osmosis. "Look, that's why I installed the super-stick straps and the backup shoelaces." He proffered his heel in emphasis. "There's no way these things will fall off."

Cindy snorted. "Yeah, and if we're soaring through the air and we suddenly stop flying?"

Jimmy went a shade or two paler. As usual, he had missed a small, but critical detail. "We uh…we fly low?"

"Well then I guess all our problems are solved," Cindy said with a sarcastic wave of her hands. She adjusted her goggles a final time. "Come on fly-boy; let's get this over with."

"O-kay," Jimmy said. A fierce grin broke out on his face. As he looked to the side, he saw that Cindy had donned a grin as well. Despite her often catty remarks, he knew that she enjoyed trying out his new inventions just as much as he did.

This was one of the many reasons why Cindy had become his best friend.

"On 'go'," Jimmy said. He assumed a running position, clenching his teeth in anticipation. New inventions always fired up his nerves. "Ready…set… …"

A thought occurred to Jimmy. Quickly, before she could protest, he grabbed Cindy by the hand. The feel of her palm brought shivers down his spine and goose bumps to his flesh, but he swiftly quashed the sensation. He couldn't let himself go at a time like this.

"What are you doing?" Cindy asked. If Jimmy didn't know any better, he would have thought that at that moment, she sounded almost scared. The slight widening of her eyes and lifting of her brows confirmed this. Which begged the question; what was Cindy scared of? But they had less than thirty minutes to make it in time to the Candy Bar, and Jimmy couldn't afford to ponder these things before takeoff.

"It's just precautionary," Jimmy said. "In the unlikely event that one of us malfunctions. This way one of us can intervene."

Cindy studied Jimmy for a time, and then slowly nodded. "…Right. Good thinking."

"Thanks," Jimmy said. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. He allowed himself the briefest moment to enjoy his physical contact with Cindy. He carefully adjusted his grip on her hand, making sure that it wasn't too loose, or too tight. "Okay, on 'go.'"

Jimmy took a step forward and arranged his free arm at ninety degrees, so that his fist was near level with his chin. Cindy mirrored his positioning.

"Ready…set… …" A bead of sweat rolled down Jimmy's temple. "Go!"

They took off, hand in hand, at a medium pace that was slightly slower than that enabled by Jimmy's earlier jetpack backpacks. As they floated above the ground, a satisfied grin grew on Jimmy's face. The ride was smooth as silk. Not even an ounce of turbulence. Glancing at Cindy, Jimmy found a grin blossoming on the blonde's face as well. The friends noted each other's expressions, and then, after some wordless communication, nodded their heads.

Jimmy and Cindy shot through the air like bullets, all concerns for their safety long gone. Their grins only intensified as they soared high above the neighborhood, dozens of meter over the tallest houses. The lawns, trees and driveways flew beneath them. It was like being in an airplane as it rose into the atmosphere.

"Way to go Neutron!" Cindy shouted above the wind. "I think you've sang the eulogy for internal combustion."

Although Cindy was looking right at him, Jimmy wasn't entirely aware. He was too busy staring at her long golden hair as it flickered in the wind, never quite repeating the same movement twice. How would it feel to bury his head in that hair? To inhale its fragrant scent, as he gently traced her pale jawline with a finger. As he cradled her body to his, unable to get any closer, yet never getting close enough.

"Jimmy?" Cindy said. No response.

An incredibly dopey look appeared on Jimmy's face. It was the look he had given Cindy over four years ago when, overcome by pheromones, he had fallen in a deep, unshakable infatuation with her. This time, he was not influenced by an artificial dose of the chemical, but he was influenced by something alright. Jimmy had been giving Cindy this look with increasing frequency over the past year or so.

This was the look Jimmy wore when he was daydreaming.

"Jimmy?" Cindy repeated. Again no response. "Jimmy! Jiiiiiimmmmyyyyyy…"

_Jimmy and Cindy were soaring through air, like they were doing in the real world outside of Jimmy's head, except that this scene looked a little different. The sky was a bit bluer, the clouds were a bit puffier, and the sun shone just a little bit brighter. In addition, Jimmy and Cindy were not merely flying, but they were sweeping through the air like something one could only describe as anti-gravity ballet. They flipped and dipped and spiraled, all the while holding hands and laughing like a couple of clichéd teenagers from a black and white film._

_It was a scene so happy and ridiculous, it would have put Mary Poppins to shame._

"_Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha," Jimmy and Cindy laughed as they looped again and again. They finally came to a standstill in midair, interlocking both sets of fingers with one another._

"_Oh James," Cindy said. For some reason in Jimmy's daydreams, Cindy always spoke with a slight English accent. "You are such an a-mazing scientist." Her eyes sparkled like starlight glittering upon the midnight sea._

"_As are you my sugarloaf blossom," Jimmy said. In this particular segment, he was wearing a moustache. "Together, you and I shall lead the world in both of our industries. Science…and love."_

"_Oh my modern-day Da Vinci," Cindy gushed. "Your words captivate me even greater than your brilliant deeds."_

"_Then you can return the favor by captivating me…with a kiss."_

"_That works." _

_Jimmy shook his head. For another strange reason, Daydream Cindy occasionally dropped the elegant lady routine and spoke and acted like the real Cindy instead. The transitions were a bit jarring, but he supposed he'd get used to them eventually._

_With a quick spray of his own, patented breath freshener, Jimmy was all set. He bore into Cindy's eyes, eyes that he wanted to fall into like green pools of passion. He leaned forward, as did she, their lips, lover's lips, searching for each other. The seconds slowed to a crawl as they closed in, mere moments away from that most romantic display of public affection._

"Jimmy…Jimmy..._Jimmy_?"

* * *

"Hey Jimmy!"

"Whuh?"

Jimmy snapped to full alertness and found three pairs of eyes staring at him. He was sitting in his customary corner booth at the Candy Bar, and was joined by Cindy, Carl, Sheen, and Libby. They had all been talking about one thing or another, but at some point during the conversation, Jimmy had zoned out and completely lost his bearings.

"Is there any particular reason you've been staring at the table for the past five minutes?"

It was Libby who had interrupted Jimmy's ruminating. It was also Libby who had asked Jimmy this most recent question. The boy genius stared at the girl, wondering why it was always she who caught him spacing out like that. He peered at the others, hoping that they weren't as discerning.

"He's probably just thinking about algebra again," Cindy said, guiding a forkful of chocolate chip pancake into her mouth. She gave Jimmy a sassy smirk while she chewed.

The blonde had been particularly ruthless during their meal thus far. While her and Jimmy's flight to the Candy Bar had gotten off to a good start, their luck didn't last. As it turned out, Jimmy hadn't done such a good job of creating a way to reduce their speed. In fact, he forgot about the breaking system altogether. When he and Cindy discovered this, it took their combined skill to pilot their way to the restaurant, avoiding cars, trees, and pedestrians as they zoomed by in excess of sixty miles an hour. They managed to arrive well before ten am, but they had destroyed Sam's front door, as well as one of his tables in the process. It was only with an Oscar-winning performance from Cindy that they avoided lifetime banishment from the Candy Bar.

"I thought about algebra once," Sheen said. He shuddered. "Worst three seconds of my life."

"Even worse than when they cancelled that Ultralord marathon in the seventh grade?" Carl asked.

"Don't be ridiculous Carl. Of course I wasn't including Ultralord-related incidents."

Libby put a hand to her forehead. "I can't believe you still watch that show."

"I can't believe you're still dating a guy who still watches that show," Cindy added. She giggled, downing another piece of pancake.

"Well I can't believe you're still best friends with a girl who's still dating a guy who still watches that show," Jimmy chuckled.

The other three all stared blankly at Jimmy. They looked at him like he was some strange type of creature, who was spewing out nonsense. Humor had never been Jimmy's strong suit, and over the years, it seemed he only got worse at it.

"As I was saying," Cindy slowly said, as if she were expecting another bizarre comment to come out of Jimmy. But before could continue, Sam approached carrying a platter stacked with pancakes. He dropped the platter rather brusquely in front of Jimmy, causing it to wobble on the table for a bit. As Jimmy inspected his order, he saw that most of the edges were burnt.

"Here's your food kid, yeah," Sam said. He glared at Jimmy for an uncomfortably long period of time before turning away.

"Oh, he wanted blueberry," Cindy said. Sam stopped in his tracks. He gave Cindy an even meaner glare than the one he had given Jimmy. Tough as she was, the intense dislike Cindy saw simmering behind those spectacles made her slump in her seat. "Cause you know…that's what he always orders," she squeaked.

No sooner than this was said, an object flew through the air, over the kitchen counter, and straight for Jimmy's table. As the five teens watched it, they realized that the object was in fact a pancake. The breakfast item landed perfectly on Jimmy's platter, right on top of his unwanted stack of pancakes. Unlike the previous ones, this one had blueberries in it. Jimmy watched in wonderment as two more blueberry pancakes flew from the kitchen, arriving neatly in front of him. A final pancake followed these last two. Unlike the others, this one smacked Jimmy right in the face.

"Oops," Sam said as the goop oozed down Jimmy's cheeks. "I guess my chefs threw that last pancake too fast. If only they had remembered to install a _braking system_!"

Sam shot Jimmy his meanest look yet before stomping away. "And I expect you to pay for _both_ those orders, yeah!" he added without turning around.

Jimmy's table went silent for several seconds.

"Can you pass the syrup?" Sheen said. He looked at Jimmy, unfazed by the mess covering his friend's face. Wordlessly, Jimmy passed Sheen the clear-plastic container.

Carl used his napkin to clean up Jimmy's mug.

"Changeup?" Cindy asked. She was speaking to Jimmy. The genius nodded and slid his platter next to Cindy's. They each picked up one of the other's pancakes and placed it on their own, respective platter. They performed the trade with ease, as though they had done it hundreds of times.

Libby gazed strangely at her two friends. Something stirred within her brown irises.

"So," Carl said, sucking cream off his thumb. "What are we gonna do today Jim?"

"I dunno," Jimmy said. He felt better now that there was food in front of him, and that his face was presentable. "What do you guys want to do?"

"What have you and Cindy been up to lately?" Libby suddenly asked.

Jimmy had no immediate response to this. Fortunately, Cindy covered for him.

"What do you think we've been up to Libby?" the blonde said dismissively. She exchanged a wry glance with Jimmy. "Does the word 'lab' ring any bells?"

"Ringing bells huh?" Libby said. She placed her hands on the table. "An interesting choice of words Cindy." Her tone grew slightly guttural. "I wonder why you'd phrase a sentence like that?"

Cindy coolly regarded her friend. "What, are you talking about?" She took another bite of her pancake.

Libby whipped her hands off the table with a grunt of disgust. "Are you seriously that stupid?"

Cindy plucked her fork out of her mouth and settled it down on her platter. She refused to make eye contact with Libby.

"I don't know if you were aware of this," Sheen said, eying his girlfriend, "but those two have the highest grades in the entire class."

"We were up to our elbows working on a new invention," Jimmy said. He was nonplussed at the back and forth between the two girls. "What did you expect?"

"Never mind," Libby mumbled. She scowled as she dug a utensil into her pancake pile.

"So," Carl said after a few moments of quiet eating. "Is anyone planning on going to this Retro-Dance next Saturday?"

* * *

As they were leaving, Jimmy made sure to leave an extra-large tip. He knew it would be a while before Sam looked at him with anything shy of loathing, but he also knew that no matter how angry he had made the man in the past, he had always been forgiven. This was one of the reasons why Jimmy rarely complained in front of the Candy Bar's crotchety owner. If their roles had been reversed, Jimmy probably would have also thrown pancakes at his customer.

Jimmy had just exited the restaurant, behind Sheen, Carl and Cindy, when he felt someone grab him by the arm. He turned to his left and found himself face-to-face with Libby. The brown-eyed girl put her finger to her lips and cocked her head at their three friends up ahead. Jimmy stood in silence, waiting for Libby to speak.

"I'm gonna make this quick," she said. She stole a glance at the other three, making sure that none of them had noticed her and Jimmy were missing. She brought her gaze back to Jimmy, where it settled for a second or two. "Exactly how long have you been in love with Cindy?"

"What?" Jimmy exclaimed. Libby slammed her finger against her lips. The genius cringed at his foolish outburst.

"Tell me the truth Jimmy," Libby said. Her brown eyes softened, allowing the emotions to seep through. "I know you love her. I can see it in you every time you two are together. I'm amazed she's dumb enough not to see it herself."

Jimmy's eyes widened, but Libby calmed them with a flick of her hand. Her intent was communicated. Cindy knew nothing.

"Look, I played along four years ago when you guys started being friends and all. And I'm glad you two aren't fighting as much as you used to." She paused. "But Jimmy, the clock is ticking. If you don't tell her how you feel soon, one of these days, someone else is gonna wind up taking her. And all the time you've been spending with her? That's going seem a whole lot emptier when that happens."

"Do you…" Jimmy grappled for the words. "Has she…told you how she feels about me?"

Libby crossed her arms. "Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. I'm not the one you should be asking that."

"Hey Libby, Jimmy, c'mon!" Sheen called. "We're taking the snot mobile. We'll be home in no time."

Next to Sheen, Carl already had a large green bubble coming out of his nose. With another boost from his inhaler, he continued his blowing. On the other side of Carl, Cindy had her hand over her mouth, trying not to lose her breakfast.

"I'm gonna tell you this once Neutron," Libby said, "and after that, I'm not going to say it again." Libby stared hard at Jimmy, making sure that he was hanging on her every word. "Regardless of what she says, Cindy's the kind of girl who wants the guy to move first. So for her sake, and all the rest of ours…" Libby leaned in to bear her steely gaze into Jimmy. "Make. A. Move."

She turned around and walked away without another word.

**Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.**


	3. Jimmy's First Move: Retroland

**Jimmy's First Move: Take Her to Retroland**

"There's just no easy answer boy," Jimmy whined as he patted Goddard on the head. Jimmy was seated on a chair in front of his lab's main computer workstation, where he typically analyzed data. The boy genius had spent the better part of the last half-hour going back and forth with Goddard over Libby's warning. No matter how he sliced it, he just couldn't find a straightforward answer to his dilemma.

"I mean, Libby is right. If I don't tell Cindy how I feel, I'll never get anywhere with her, and one day someone else could wind up taking her instead. On the other hand, if I tell Cindy how I feel and she doesn't feel the same way, I could lose her friendship. And at the rate my social life is going, I really can't afford to lose a companion."

The cover to Goddard's chest flipped open, revealing the underlying monitor. On the monitor, Goddard had uploaded a line graph depicting the quality of Jimmy's social life. The line was gradually approaching zero.

"I didn't need to see that," Jimmy murmured. Goddard lowered his head, resting his lower mandible on Jimmy's feet.

Jimmy sighed. "I guess it's a lesser of two evils scenario. The question is, which could I stand to lose more: Cindy's friendship, or Cindy's love?" Jimmy stroked his chin as he considered the options. "Cindy's my best friend in the entire world, but my feelings for her are stronger than they've ever been about anyone."

Jimmy let his head fall into his hands, mulling his woeful circumstances through the cracks between his fingers. Although men had loved women for hundreds of thousands of years, he was convinced that no one had faced a situation as difficult as his. To complicate matters, the genius had never told a girl he liked her. While he had kissed Cindy and held her hand back in elementary school, he hadn't done anything remotely like that with any girl since.

"Just how do people do this?" Jimmy asked. He never encountered a question that made him feel so clueless. The struggle grated his nerves. "If only I weren't human."

Shortly after Jimmy said this, an idea struck. "Of course! Why didn't I do this before?" He took his hand off his Goddard's head. "Goddard; options!"

Jimmy's rising glee was truncated when, after several seconds, Goddard didn't respond. "Huh, that's funny." Jimmy peered down at his pet. "_Goddard_; options!"

Again, the mechanical canine didn't respond. Jimmy bent over to see what was going on with Goddard. He was very surprised to find that Goddard was not only failing to pay attention, but he was also failing to stay awake. Goddard's normally luminescent eyes were dim, indicating that he was currently in his sleep cycle.

"Goddard!"

Goddard's eyes brightened and he gave a sudden bark, as if he had been roused unaware. The metallic head swiveled until it saw Jimmy. Something about Goddard's posture suggested that he was less than happy.

"What did you fall asleep for?" Jimmy demanded.

The cover to Goddard's chest flipped open again, words being typed out on the screen.

'You keep waking me up in the morning. I get so tired sometimes chasing squirrels. You have no idea how hard it is to be a dog.'

Jimmy's hands balled into fists. "You don't have an endocrine system for crying out loud! How can you be tired?"

'I have to chase the mailman too. That guy does not know when to quit. Every day he comes back, hoping for a rematch."

"Just take an extra nap in the afternoon," Jimmy said. "This is serious. I need your help on something."

'Alright Frankenhead. Do not get your boxers in a bunch.'

Jimmy's brows furrowed. "Frankenhead…" Comprehension dawned. "Has Cindy been messing with your language algorithms again?"

'I do not know this Cindy you speak of.'

"Very funny," Jimmy said. He made a mental note to remind the blonde about tampering with his inventions. "Goddard, I need options for what to do about Cindy."

Jimmy stared at Goddard's monitor, anxious as to what plans his faithful companion would procure. After several seconds of waiting however, no words appeared. Jimmy was about to say something when a single word popped on the screen. The genius frowned.

"Processing?" he said out loud. This had never happened before. Goddard usually delivered results instantaneously. Jimmy wondered what was causing the holdup. Maybe when Cindy had been playing with his language algorithms, she messed up some of his other programming.

As Jimmy mulled this over, he noticed something else that was off about Goddard. Unless Jimmy's eyes were deceiving him, he would have sworn that smoke was coming out of Goddard's orifices. He squinted and verified this. Smoke was definitely issuing from Goddard's mouth, nose, eyes and tail. A second later, Goddard began rattling. Just minute shaking at first, audible only because Goddard was made of metal, but it then transitioned into a more forceful trembling.

"Goddard?" Jimmy said. He had never seen such a reaction from his pet before. The lights from Goddard's eyes were turning on and off, the word 'processing' flickering on his control panel. It looked like Goddard was…malfunctioning. "Abort search command!" Jimmy ordered, eyes growing wide with alarm. "I repeat, abort search command!"

The moment Jimmy said these words, the smoking and rattling ceased. Goddard remained in place, panting like he was out of breath. Jimmy rushed over to his pet and knelt before him.

"What happened?" he exclaimed.

Goddard peered at Jimmy. He appeared to have finally caught his wind. The robotic dog typed the words out on his monitor.

'I do not have enough CPU to provide options for that inquiry. The female species is more complicated than my circuits can withstand.'

Jimmy smacked himself on the forehead. Of all the things to overwhelm Goddard. "Females are too complicated for _my_ circuits too! That's where you were supposed to come in!"

'Perhaps if you had built me that female poodle like I suggested, I would be in more of a position to assist you now.'

"This is getting us nowhere," Jimmy said. He climbed to his feet and began pacing along the floor. It would be up to him to find the solution. "So do I risk her friendship, or her love?" he said, weighing the question for the thousandth time.

Jimmy thought about it. And thought about it. And thought about it. After several long minutes of laborious deliberating, he started to see that faint glimmering at the end of the tunnel.

"I guess, when I think about it…I was fine before I became friends with her." Jimmy's thoughts came to him with increasing speed. "Things were okay when it was just me, Carl and Sheen, so I guess I'd manage without her friendship if it was absolutely necessary. But if I lost her love…"

Jimmy hung his head. Once again, there were multiple possible answers, none of which were especially appealing. "Well, I suppose I could lose her love either way. But losing it due to trepidation or indecision…that would be the greater calamity." He went silent for a bit. It seemed that at long last, he had come to his decision, whether he was ready for it or not. "So I guess it's settled then. I tell her." Jimmy felt a sensation of serenity and wisdom brimming within him.

Which quickly brimmed out. He pulled at his hair, returning instantly to his pangs of lovelorn adolescence. "But how do I tell her? Gas planet, this is impossible! There's no way, just no way I'll ever come up with a solution to this problem!

_-10 minutes later-_

"I've come up with the perfect solution to this problem," Jimmy said. His frenzied expression and movements had been replaced with calm and confident ones. He sauntered in front of Goddard, wearing his trademark smug grin. Behind him was a dry-erase board, which was hanging on the wall. On the board were written several lines. Jimmy picked up a marker and faced Goddard, like a teacher ready to give a lesson.

"After some hard thinking, I've compiled a list of ways I can make a move on Cindy," Jimmy told his mechanical canine, pointing at each line on the board in succession. "I don't know why I was struggling with it so much earlier. This is gonna be a cinch." Jimmy laughed. The relief he felt now made him feel as light as air. "Even if my first idea doesn't work, I'll be seriously surprised."

Jimmy indicated the first line on the board with his marker. "Retroland," he said, smiling cleverly at Goddard. "It's so simple, yet so brilliant. Why is that you say?"

Goddard just looked at Jimmy. The robotic dog didn't say anything, but he figured Jimmy's question had been more of a rhetorical one anyway.

"Retroland is the perfect place for me to confess my feelings for Cindy all thanks to a principal known as the suspension bridge effect." Jimmy turned his dry-erase board over, so that the blank, empty side faced him and Goddard. The genius began doodling on the board as a visual aid. "You see, psychologists think that our conscious perception of certain emotions such as fear, or anxiety, can happen in one of two ways. The first way is that we become afraid of something, and then our body responds by increasing heart rate, perspiration, and other functions of the sympathetic nervous system."

Goddard cocked his head to the side.

"The second way this may occur, and the theory I personally espouse, is that in situations where our heart rate and perspiration are already elevated, our conscious perception becomes aware of these physiological changes and thus assumes that we are fearful or anxious. With me so far?"

Goddard barked.

"To get to the point, when a person is in a situation where their nervous system is stimulated, such as when they're on a bridge, and if that person sees a second person, it is believed that the first person's conscious perception may assume they have certain feelings for that second person. You see, many of the physiological changes a person undergoes when they see someone they have a crush on are the same as the changes they experience during times of peril. Now, Retroland doesn't have a bridge per se, but if Cindy and I go on a heart-pounding ride together and she sees me sitting next to her, this could induce her to think she has feelings for me. She could interpret her nervous system arousal as a sign that she likes me."

Jimmy stroked his chin. "That is, if she doesn't already." Jimmy returned his attention to Goddard, the genius's grin ever wide. "Don't you see Goddard? It's the perfect solution! Either way, Cindy's bound to feel excited at some point during the night. _She _might be the one to say something to me! And even if she doesn't, she might already be thinking about me as more than a friend, which will be the perfect time for me to make my move. Plus she's always enjoyed going to Retroland, so all the food and rides will help ensure we'll have a good time."

That incredibly dopey look Jimmy wore while he and Cindy flew to the Candy Bar earlier that morning returned. The boy genius sat on his chair in front of his workstation, his large blue eyes visiting some unseen location. "I can just see it all now…"

_It was a night of a thousand stars. The tiny white beacons shone brightly, as they only did on nights when true love was consummated. Jimmy and Daydream Cindy held hands as the Ferris wheel slowly revolved along its path. The two were resplendent in their eveningwear, though truth be told, they were a tad overdressed for the occasion._

_A violinist inexplicably occupied the carriage behind them. A heart-stirring melody flowed from his instrument._

"_Oh James," Daydream Cindy said, her slight English accent present as always. She removed her hand from Jimmy's and hooked both of her arms around his left one. "This ride is moving so fast. I-I'm ever so frightened."_

_In reality, the ride was moving slower than a slug, but Daydream Cindy was usually a lot dumber than normal Cindy._

"_No need to worry my sweet," Jimmy said. A deep baritone voice, quite unlike his own, poured from his lips. "I am here, and I will banish the terror within you."_

"_Oh James," Cindy said. She squeezed Jimmy's arm. "I'm so glad I'm on this Ferris wheel with you." She sighed, then added: "And your voice melts me like garlic butter."_

"_The good kind?" Jimmy asked._

"_The good kind," Cindy replied, closing her eyes. She rested her head on Jimmy's shoulder. "You know," she said, opening her eyes and searching out into the night, "I always considered you a close friend, but now, now that my sympathetic nervous system is activated, my conscious perception can only come to one conclusion."_

_Jimmy and Cindy pulled away. The blonde held his eyes and put her hands around his face. "And that conclusion is…I love you."_

_They leaned in, joining lips for the kiss that would bind them now and forever._

Jimmy nodded, a big stupid grin on his face after his daydream had ended. "Yep. It's gonna go exactly like that." He sighed, not thinking it was possible to feel any happier. "What do you think boy?"

To Jimmy's great consternation, Goddard had once again fallen asleep.

* * *

"Retroland?"

Of all the reactions Jimmy had expected from Cindy, this was not one of them. When he had talked to Cindy over the phone last night, he told her that he wanted to plan a special day for her tomorrow. As an atonement for the flying shoe fiasco. Cindy hadn't been very keen on the idea, but with some prodding from Jimmy, she eventually consented. Jimmy hadn't told her where he planned on taking her, but now that they were standing in line at the front gates of Retroland, it seemed that Cindy was less-than-thrilled with his plan.

"What's wrong with Retroland?" Jimmy asked. "We used to always love coming here in middle school."

"Back when we were twelve," Cindy said. Her eyes flicked through the visible sights within the theme park. She looked as though she tasted something unpleasant.

"Aw, c'mon Cindy," Jimmy pleaded. "I've heard they got new rides and everything. What, you think you're too old for this stuff already?"

"It's not the rides Jimmy," Cindy said. "It's the atmosphere." She gazed with disapproval at the many young children running around on the inside and outside of Retroland's gates. "I mean, this is a little kid's place. We're both pretty advanced for our age. Wouldn't you rather go, I don't know, somewhere more mature?"

Jimmy puckered his lip. "I don't know what you're talking about. This place is perfectly mature!"

The sound of an escalating argument broke off Jimmy and Cindy's conversation. The two stepped out of line and leaned to the side, so that they could get a better look at the cause of the commotion. At the very front of the line, two figures were standing toe-to-toe. One of the figures was very short while the other was very tall. When Jimmy got a good look at the tall figure, his breath caught in his chest.

"It's _my _turn to enter Retroland!" the short figure said. She shot an accusing finger at the tall figure, "You cut in front of me!"

"Nuh-uh!" The tall figure said. He stuck his thumbs in his ears and began wiggling his fingers and tongue mockingly at the smaller figure.

Cindy pointed her finger, eyebrows knitting. "Is that your dad?"

Jimmy already had his hands on his head, trying to forget the incriminating image. "Did I mention I was conceived from a test-tube?"

Cindy sighed. The fight had gone out of her. "Oh all right," she said in a resigned tone. "We're here anyway." She shook her head, though she couldn't repress a small smile. "I guess it was pretty sweet of you to take me out like this."

Ever so slightly, Jimmy's heart lifted. He hadn't struck out yet. He still had a chance, and he was going to make the most of it. Feeling emboldened, Jimmy slung his arm around Cindy's shoulders, so that his hand made contact with her upper arm.

"We'll have a good time," he told her, as sincere as possible. "I promise."

Cindy looked at Jimmy. As always in moments like these, Jimmy found her twin emeralds unreadable. For a second, he thought he saw her twitch again, although he couldn't determine if it was like that questionable twitch she had committed four years prior. In any event, it didn't seem to matter as Cindy's facial expression turned into a smile.

The blonde giggled. She gave Jimmy a light shoulder-check, almost making him lose his footing. The genius chuckled in return and checked her back, and the two proceeded to try and push each other out of line.

* * *

As Jimmy and Cindy took their first steps into Retroland, Jimmy readied himself. While he planned on having a good time, he was also a man on a mission. His basic strategy hadn't changed. At some point during their outing, he planned on getting Cindy on a really exciting ride, and hoped that in her excited state, she'd see him in a light other than friendship. Nonetheless, this wasn't the only plot he'd employ in his efforts to win her over. To prepare for today, Jimmy had poured through numerous websites detailing the latest in pop culture, as well as tips to impress the ladies. He admitted, he had a lot of catching up to do with his peers, but he now had all the tools he needed. He felt confident in his ability to come at Cindy in any way, and at any time.

Jimmy chuckled inside his head. _Get ready Cindy. I'm gonna show you an afternoon you shan't soon forget. _He then put his thoughts on halt. It was time to take action.

"So, which ride do you want to go on first?" he asked.

"Hmm," Cindy said, scanning her surroundings. There was indeed a plethora of new rides that Retroland had installed. In addition to classics such as the Octapuke and Bat Outta Heck, to their far left stood a towering metallic structure, where a single car took riders on gut-rattling ascents and descents. This ride was called the Nutcracker Valet, aptly named since there was a figure of a nutcracker wearing a chauffeur's uniform at the front of the cart. Straight ahead of them was a dome, which housed an inside roller-coaster through a maze of pretend stars, wormholes, and asteroids. This ride was named Yolkian Runway, on the count of each cart was shaped like the egg suits that Yolkians wore. Though most of the town was happy that Jimmy no longer endangered them with his adventures, they had developed some nostalgia for the old days, and Retroland erected the Yokian ride to capitalize on this. Finally, a few attractions to the right of Yolkian Runway was a small area encircled by a tall chain-link fence. Jimmy could barely make out a figure standing inside the fence, surrounded by twenty-some roosters. A dumpy sign nailed to the fence bore the words 'Chicken Chase'.

Jimmy frowned as he regarded this attraction. _Who would waste their time chasing two-dozen chickens?_ Unfortunately, as Jimmy inspected the attraction more closely, he saw that the lone person standing inside it was none other than a familiar tall figure. Mouth twisting in fear, Jimmy quickly turned Cindy in the opposite direction, before she could see it.

"How about the Eye in the Sky? For old time's sake?"

Cindy shrugged as she eyed the familiar structure, the two eyeballs shuttling in opposite directions to and from the giant head. "Okay."

As the pair settled into the line in front of the ride, Jimmy recognized his opportunity. The first step of his plan involved making conversation with Cindy. Witty comments, funny observations, clever insights, anything to get her talking. According to one blog he read, it was best to start the ball rolling by mentioning something relevant to their current environment. After that, he was supposed to talk as little as possible, and let Cindy guide the discussion. A mistake many men made was talking too much, for fear of awkward silences and running out of things to say. Jimmy would make no such mistakes.

"So, Cindy," Jimmy began, hands in his pockets. He stared at her with what he thought was his most winning grin. This appeared to get her attention. He tilted his head in the direction of their current attraction. "_I _think this ride's gonna be a lot of fun. Huh? Huh?" He nudged her in the ribs, waiting for her to bust out laughing.

Cindy just stared at Jimmy. The genius waited several seconds, thinking that she'd eventually stop, but this did not happen. The blonde just kept looking at Jimmy, like he had said something incredibly stupid. Not to be deterred, Jimmy decided that his joke had simply been so funny that Cindy didn't know how to react. After all the tips he had read, Jimmy supposed his comedic senses must have really improved.

"Yeah," Jimmy said, anxious to use his next zinger. "But maybe we should save Graveyard Paralysis for last." Jimmy struggled to keep his snickering at bay. "We might not be able to _move_ afterward."

Regrettably, Jimmy nudged Cindy's ribs a second time. The blonde gazed at Jimmy for an even longer period afterward. Sometime during this, a bird flew by and pooped on Jimmy's shoulder. Jimmy turned his neck to stare at the white goop. It seemed to tell him what Cindy's staring implied. He absently removed the blemish with the Depoopifier function on his watch, a very sad expression on his face.

"Hey, the line's moving," Cindy said. She eagerly stepped forward, with a sullen Jimmy stepping in sync next to her.

_I never wanted to be a comedian anyway_. Jimmy's thoughts continued along this morose track for a while when he caught himself and gave himself a mental shake. _No, I can't give into despair. Women are attracted to confident men. That means that no matter how uncomfortable I get, no matter how many mistakes or faux pas I commit, I have to remain poised and self-assured._

Jimmy forced a smile, all traces of sullenness gone. He was going to do this, no matter how hard things got. It was just a test. And Jimmy Neutron always aced tests.

Jimmy quickly examined his surroundings, hoping to find something on which to comment. He didn't have to look very far, as there was an opportunity standing right in front of him. This opportunity was a tall, long-haired blonde woman wearing a short-sleeved green top and blue jeans. Jimmy had read that women often judged men based on how they treated other women. Although you didn't want to go overboard and make your desired woman jealous, if you treated other women nicely, your desired woman would expect you to treat her nicely and would consequently be attracted to you.

Jimmy smiled as he prepared his compliment. Cindy was going to be so impressed. "That is a lovely green shirt you have on today ma'am."

At first, the woman standing in front of Jimmy said nothing. The woman then turned around to stare at the genius. When this happened, Jimmy's pleasant smile changed into a not-so-pleasant gape.

As luck would have it, the green-shirted woman was actually a green-shirted male. He looked like he was no more than a few years older than Jimmy. The somewhat androgynous boy wrinkled his nose angrily at the genius.

"Oh, so I look like a girl huh?" he said in a rough voice.

Jimmy tried to wave his arms in protest, but it seemed that the boy did not notice. Instead, the boy's upset features transformed into sad ones, and he began to cry.

Jimmy slowly lost the feeling in his brain.

"Sure, make fun of Francis why don't you; he looks like a _woman_!" the boy shouted, wiping his nose on his sleeve. His voice had now become high-pitched and whiny, as well as slightly irritating.

"I'm sorry – I – I didn't mean to imply–"

"Do you know what they call me back in school?" Francis asked. He sniffed, then waited, like he honestly expected Jimmy to answer.

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me," Jimmy muttered under his breath.

"They call me…Mr. Girly Man." Francis's face caved in on itself and he broke into fresh sobbing. "They go, 'hey look everyone, it's Mr. Girly Man. Let's check his blood and see how low his testosterone is today.'" Francis mopped the moisture from his eyes. He then transitioned from grief back to anger. "Do you know what it's like, to be humiliated everyday in front of your classmates?"

Despite Jimmy's feelings for Cindy, he couldn't help but shoot the blonde a nasty look. Cindy had her hands behind her back and was whistling, like she had somehow failed to notice the developing scene between Jimmy and Francis.

"Hey guys, look," said a new voice. Jimmy noticed that a group of three teenage boys, all about the same age as Francis, had gathered next to them. One of the teens wore a mocking grin and was gesturing at Francis. "It's Mr. Girly Man!" The other two teens grabbed their stomachs and laughed.

Jimmy wanted very much to scream right now.

"Yeah, it's Mr. Girly Man," added a teen who had been laughing. "That's your name. It isn't Francis anymore." He chuckled as he motioned at himself and the other two. "We changed it."

The first teen that had spoken whirled on this second teen. "Douglas!" he snapped. He glared at his friend, then tore his gaze away, clenching his jaw. "God, you ruin everything!"

The third teen, who hadn't said anything, punched Douglas in the arm. The trio walked off, arguing amongst one another.

When the three boys had left, Jimmy found himself in an awkward silence with Francis. Jimmy cautiously regarded the teen, knowing that whatever he said next, he needed to deliver with extreme care. But before Jimmy could say anything, Francis moved out of line and began walking away.

"Hey, where – where are you going?" Jimmy called out.

"Bathroom," Francis mumbled, not sparing Jimmy a second glance. "I always have to pee when I get sad." Hanging his head, Francis trudged toward the bathrooms, which was located in a small building next to the Pendulum ride. Jimmy crossed his fingers, hoping that what he thought was going to happen did not come to fruition. Sure enough, as soon as Francis entered the door marked 'Men,' a small boy came running out, screaming that there was a lady on the boys' bathroom.

* * *

Cindy took a giant bite out her hot dog, ripping the meat and bun loose with her teeth. She munched noisily, not caring whether she got mustard or ketchup on her chin, which she did. One of the things Jimmy liked about Cindy was that she wasn't too girly. While Cindy zealously maintained her appearance, she also had no problem getting her arms slicked with rocket fuel, or throwing a baseball back and forth. She was a guy's girl, and not a day went by when he took her friendship for granted.

At the moment however, Jimmy couldn't help but be slightly agitated at Cindy's nonchalant demeanor. He chewed on his own hot dog, trying not to throw any of the rude looks he had been considering. Was she absolutely blind?

If waiting in line for the Eye in the Sky ride had foreshadowed the rest of his afternoon, then it had done a pretty good job. All of Jimmy's attempts at winning Cindy's favor, thus far, had been futile. He thought the close proximity he and Cindy would share during the Eye in the Sky ride would make a difference, but that of course had failed. Instead of getting paired with Cindy as planned, he ended up sitting next to a three-hundred-pound plumber named Bob. Among other unpleasant qualities, it appeared that Bob hadn't bathed in weeks. When he led Cindy to Yolkian Runway, and finally had his chance to be alone with her, a bug got caught in his throat. It had taken no less than seven whacks from Cindy to liberate the troublesome insect. And finally, because he was running out of ideas, Jimmy had taken Cindy to the Chicken Chase. If anything, he thought maybe it would make her laugh, and that this would give him his opening.

The Chicken Chase, as turned out, was anything besides funny. At least for Jimmy. Instead of in the movies, where the character chases after a chicken in an attempt to achieve some amazing physical training, the staff of Retroland decided to reverse the concept. Unbeknownst to their customers. So it was with great surprise that the genius took his place in the middle of the enclosed area, and was attacked by twenty suddenly vicious roosters. Apparently, they had been bred for aggression. Whatever the case, Jimmy had made Cindy laugh all right. The problem was, he hadn't made her laugh in the proper way.

Jimmy slurped his soda as he fought down yet another urge to glare down his blonde friend. He seriously found it intolerable, that she could be so immune to both the rotten luck he had been having, and his deep affections for her. It just didn't seem fair that he could feel this way and she could go on unaware, unperturbed.

Jimmy was so deep in his bitter musing that he almost missed it when Cindy said: "You know, I was a little skeptical in the beginning, but I have to say that I've had a really fun time today Jimmy."

Instantly, the words broke through Jimmy's brooding. It was a curious power Cindy had, to send him into the depths of despair, and then lift him to the heights of happiness, all with nothing more than a few simple syllables. He wondered whether he was becoming bipolar, or whether others experienced such dizzying changes in mood when caught in the throes of love.

"Really?" Jimmy asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "I was thinking that maybe coming here today wasn't such a good idea. You know, with all the…goofy stuff that's been happening."

"It has been kinda weird," Cindy said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "But I've had fun." She peered around the theme park. "It's been nice visiting this place again." Something in her tone became wistful. "We've built a lot of memories here."

Jimmy smiled to himself. It was Retroland's rides, after all, that they had used to built their fleet of rockets when they rescued their parents. He, Cindy, Libby, Carl and Sheen had also gone to Retroland countless times during middle school. In addition to asteroids and far-off planets, Retroland had been one of the places that helped cement their friendship as a group.

"And I forgot how good these hot dogs were too," Cindy said.

"I know," Jimmy replied with a chuckle. "They're just as good now as they were when we were ten." He took a bite out of his, nodding his head.

"I wonder what they put in them?"

Jimmy paused his chewing. "Do you really want to know?"

Cindy shook her head. "Nope."

Jimmy grinned and swallowed his food. He was quiet for a bit, mulling it over, and then made up his mind. He supposed now was as good a time as ever.

"So Cindy," he began, setting his half-eaten frank down on the table.

"So Jimmy," Cindy replied. She smiled at him, trigging a pang in Jimmy's chest. She truly had no idea what he was about to say. In spite of this, Jimmy put his thoughts and hesitation aside. Libby was right. He had to say something soon, and if he didn't, he'd never be able to live it down.

"I was thinking," Jimmy said. He began twiddling his thumbs.

"About what?"

"About things." He wiped the sweat off his forehead, and resumed playing with his fingers. He let out a nervous laugh. "You know…non-scientific things."

"Like what, reciting poetry again?"

"No!" Jimmy shouted, a bit louder than was necessary. He paled when he saw Cindy innocently sipping her drink, an almost imperceptible grin on her features. "That was just...an experiment."

"That's right, I forgot," Cindy said. She looked like she was struggling very hard not to snicker.

"Anyway," Jimmy said, calming himself before his temper flared. Try though he might, he couldn't prevent himself from fiddling with his fingers again. "These things that I've been thinking about. Actually, they're more of a question. That I've had. For you."

"What kind of question would that be?" Cindy asked. She made a weird face, shook her head, and resumed sucking on her straw.

"The question is…the thing is…I was wondering if you…maybe…wanted to…"

The straw slipped out of Cindy's mouth, but she hadn't noticed. Her eyes glittered strangely at Jimmy, her Styrofoam cup all but forgotten as she held it fixed in midair. She stared at him with some indiscernible mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"…Possibly…I don't know…go…on…" Jimmy's eyes widened as the last words came out. "…Another ride?"

Cindy blinked several times in a row, very rapidly. If Jimmy weren't busy mentally hitting himself over the head, he might have thought that she looked cute while she was doing this. Instead, once he had regained control of his senses, he saw that she was still staring at him with curiosity, but with something else, something different than apprehension. Was it relief?

"Sure!" Cindy said. She inhaled the rest of her beverage and wiped the moisture off her lips. "Ah!" She gave her empty cup a fond look before returning her attention to Jimmy. "We can hang out for a bit while our food goes down, and then we can get right back to it!"

Once again, Cindy's words demonstrated their influence on Jimmy. While they had made him happy before, they now made him depressed. He tried to remain confident, as he kept reminding himself that afternoon, but it was just impossible. Now that he was actively trying to capture Cindy's affections, he didn't know how he could survive any rejection from her.

"Hey, is it okay if I sit here?"

Jimmy turned to his left. Standing next to him, holding a nacho platter, was Bob the plumber. Bob gave Jimmy a friendly smile and, taking Jimmy's silence for an affirmative, sat down next to him.

"Mmm." The three-hundred pound man dipped one of his dirty fingers into the cheese sauce and stuck it in his mouth. He sucked off the cheese, then looked at Jimmy. "Nachos."

* * *

The Bat Outta Heck was Jimmy's last chance. He had saved it for last as his trump card, and since everything else had failed, it appeared that now was the time to use it. Cindy had some reservations at first, since this was the ride where Carl and Sheen got stuck once, as well as the ride where a kid's cart reportedly fell apart, but she eventually consented. It was the best ride in Retroland after all, and the chances of them getting caught in another malfunction were slim.

Jimmy gulped nervously as his and Cindy's cart jerked forward, and the ride began. The ride only boosted his anxieties about Cindy. His only chance was for Cindy to get excited during the ride, and then for her to interpret her excitement as feelings for him, and/or for him to make his move. He gripped the support bar as their cart picked up speed. Cindy could go either way when it came to being affected by roller coasters, so he could only hope she wasn't feeling particularly brave today.

"I forgot how much fun this ride was!" Cindy shouted above the noise. They had crested a brief hill and were now plummeting deep into a dark tunnel. Their jowls quivered as they dove, eventually evening out into a straight runway, which was surrounded by fake lava.

Jimmy's spirits rose at Cindy's comment. "That's great Cindy!" That she was having fun was a good sign, though not the one he had been looking for. Nevertheless, if Cindy was happy then it'd be easier to shake her emotions. All they needed was unexpected hairpin turn or two and–

"Whoa!"

Cindy's scream was like music to Jimmy's ears. They went through another dark tunnel, but when they emerged, he could see that delicious terror shining on her face. Jimmy's heart-rate picked up. This was good. It was happening even faster than expected.

"Whoa!"

They zoomed through a patch of heavy smoke emanating from the lava. Jimmy couldn't see much, but it was what he felt that turned his blood cold. Cindy had pressed herself next to him. He could feel her arm pushing into his. He could feel her skin, feel the body heat coming off of her.

"Ah-haha!"

They burst out of the smoke, wild grins on both of their faces. And then it happened. Cindy put her head on Jimmy's shoulder. She actually put her head on his shoulder. For the love of Albert Einstein, Cindy Vortex had placed her sacred flaxen head on Jimmy's unworthy shoulder. Ecstasy exploded inside Jimmy. It was happening. It was actually happening.

Jimmy was so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten to scream as he and Cindy hurtled through another tunnel. He could only watch in half-horror, half-delight, as Cindy removed her head from his shoulder. She looked him in the eyes. She was looking him in the eyes! Her deep green eyes probed his blue ones. Strands of golden hair flapped around her face, spider-like. Lips curved into a demure smile. Cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink. And then…and then…

A horrible gurgling came from Cindy's stomach. Jimmy wasn't quite sure what he had heard, and was about to ask when a second later, there was a second horrible gurgling. This time, it had come from him.

"Jimmy?" Cindy said in a flat voice. Her previously exhilarated features had become plainer than granite.

"Yes Cindy?" Jimmy said, like a teacher answering a student. He was trying to forget how bubbly that gurgling had sounded.

"What exactly did you say were in those hot dogs again?"

"Now, don't panic," Jimmy said, not even flinching as they passed through tunnels and lakes of magma. "We used to eat this stuff all the time. It makes no sense that we'd all of a sudden…lose our tolerance."

"Jimmy!" Cindy said, sounding very much panicky. That faint pink blush on her cheeks had turned into a green one. Her hands went to her stomach, reminding Jimmy that his own was becoming increasingly turbulent.

"Just don't think about it Cindy. Whatever you do, _don't_ think about it."

"When's the typical reaction times to food poisoning?"

"One hour and five hours."

"And how long has it been since we ate our hot dogs?"

Jimmy gulped. "One hour." Jimmy gritted his teeth as he saw Cindy grow even greener. She turned in her seat, so that she was backwards in the cart. "Cindy? Are you with me? Cindy? Cindy seriously. Seriously Cindy, _don't _think about it. I said _don't think_ about it! Cindy! I said – Cindy! Stop making that face. Stop making that face, you're giving my stomach ideas! Cindy! No, turn to the side. I said turn to the side _now_! Cindy? Cindy – no – wait – DON'T!"

It was too late. Cindy had lost conscious control of her motor functions and drilled the cart directly behind them. A cry of protest told Jimmy that the cart had been occupied. When Jimmy saw who it was, his worst fears were confirmed.

"Great!" Francis screeched. He flapped his soiled arms about and glared furiously at Jimmy. "That was my favorite green shirt! N_ow_ look at me!" He started flapping even harder. "I hate hot dogs_, _I hate _vomit_, and I _hate_–"

Before Jimmy could stop himself, he hurled as well. Sitting next to him, Cindy shot Jimmy a horrified look. "You puked on him too?" she gasped.

"I couldn't help it!" Jimmy shouted. "He just looked so gross!"

Francis threw his hands up in the air.

"WHYYYYYYY?"

Francis's cart promptly disassembled, and the teen plummeted over the rails and down twenty feet, where he landed with a splash in the magma. It was fortunate for him that the magma was deep, and that he avoided landing on the hard ground.

"Oh my God, is he okay?" Cindy yelled.

"Cindy, turn around!"

Cindy turned around her seat just in time as she and Jimmy entered the first upside-down section. They held on tightly to the support bar as they spiraled through the cavern. For a moment, Jimmy was worried that they'd launch into another barfing fit. These worries soon passed, and he and Cindy smoothly entered the peak, so that they were completely upside down.

Which was when their cart stopped.

**Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.**


	4. Jimmy's Second Move: The Theater

**Jimmy's Second Move: The Theater**

Jimmy was sitting in the chair in front of his main computer workstation, a very odd expression on his face. His legs were spread wide apart with both feet planted on the floor. In between his legs, Jimmy was holding a brutal-looking object. This object was a branch. It was the largest, thickest branch he had been able to find in his backyard. Now, the branch itself wasn't all that extraordinary. While it was certainly big, the only thing that separated it from any ordinary branch was that it had a word carved lengthwise along the bark.

This word was 'stupid.'

Jimmy lifted the branch up high, so that it was above and parallel to his head. He stared at it with deadened eyes. "This is the stupid stick," he told himself. "When you do something stupid, you get hit with the stupid stick. When you do something that's not stupid, you don't get hit with the stupid stick. Unfortunately, you did several very stupid things earlier this afternoon, and now you have to pay."

The genius tightened his grip around the stupid stick. For a brief moment, he wondered if he really deserved this. His self-doubt was transient however, and he reassured himself that he had earned everything that was coming to him. He put in his protective mouthpiece and began violently administering his own punishment.

"But what was I thinking?" he garbled to himself as he struck his head again and again. "'_I _think this ride's gonna be a lot of fun'? Taking her to the Bat Outta Heck? Consuming meats with questionable ingredients? No wonder it was a disaster!"

Jimmy was about to give himself another particularly severe whack when something stopped him. He looked up at the stick, which was poised above his head, and found that a white synthetic hand had grabbed a hold of it. Gently but firmly, Goddard pulled the stick out of Jimmy's grasp and placed it on a workbench safely beyond Jimmy's reach. The genius tried to go after it, but Goddard's white hand zoomed downward and blocked Jimmy's path. The hand's forefinger wagged back and forth.

"Alright, I get it," Jimmy said. "Blunt trauma never works." Jimmy removed his mouthpiece, sat back down on his seat, and slumped in despair. Although it had felt sort of good, he supposed that in the grand scheme of things, destroying his brain cells wouldn't help very much. Even if said brain cells were traitors.

"But that was about the worst afternoon in my life," Jimmy moaned. "It took them an hour to fix the power glitch, and when they did, Cindy threw up three more times. And if that wasn't bad enough, they had to close down the entire theme park because they couldn't find Francis. Apparently, the tunnels to Bat Outta Heck feed into the old Retroville sewer system. He wandered all the way underneath City Hall before they found him."

Jimmy sighed. He leaned against his chair, so that his head settled on the back of it. He gazed up at the ceiling. "And the worst part is that I didn't make my move on Cindy. Every time I tried, something happened, and even when I was trying to ask her out during lunch, she didn't seem to get it. If she really had feelings for me, she would've reacted in a different way. I just know it."

Goddard drew up beside Jimmy. The robotic dog softly ascended into the air, so that he was at eye level with his master. He licked Jimmy on the cheek.

"Let's just face it Goddard. After an afternoon like today, there's no way, just no way I'll ever be able to come up with an alternative plan to win over Cindy.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jimmy was standing once again in front of his dry-erase board, the picture of happiness. "I've come up with the perfect alternative plan to win over Cindy," he told Goddard, who was sitting on his hind legs and facing Jimmy like a good dog. He had let Jimmy reclaim the 'stupid stick', and now the genius was using it to gesture at his board, where he had written a brand new plan of action.

"I don't know what I was thinking, taking her to Retroland," Jimmy scoffed. "It was far too juvenile, and attempting to curry her favor with the suspension bridge effect was nothing more than a cheap parlor trick. This time however, my plan is foolproof."

Jimmy swatted his stick at the first line on the board. "The Movie Theater," he said, as if this was the greatest three-word sentence known to man. "It's the perfect place. It's casual enough that Cindy won't be suspicious of my intentions, yet it's romantic enough that if the mood becomes just right, I can make my move and Cindy will be mine!" Jimmy slammed his fist on his palm in emphasis.

The panel on Goddard's chest lifted. Words soon entered the screen.

'Don't you think we should ask Libby for help?'

"I'm sure she could help, but I think I can do this on my own." Jimmy fingered his chin. "I know Cindy just as well as she does, and I'm hesitant to start going to her whenever I have Cindy issues. We'll use her as a last resort."

'How about Sheen? I hear that he knows all the tricks on how to get the ladies.'

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "And who told you that?"

'I am not obliged to say.'

Jimmy shook his head. "Look, it's plain and simple. Guys have taken girls out to the movies for decades. There's just so many opportunities." Jimmy began tapping the various lines on the board. "We could bump hands while simultaneously reaching into the popcorn bowl. We could grab each other during tense or scary scenes. We could fall asleep on each other's shoulders." Jimmy smiled as he considered a final possibility, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. "Or we could just make out the whole time."

Jimmy's smile widened, his eyes growing dreamy. "I can just see it all now."

_A shriek echoed across the movie theater as the curvy teen (who looked a lot like Betty Quinlan) bounded out of the kitchen and into the living room. She paused at the intersection between the front door and the stairs leading to the second floor. There were two paths she could take to escape the killer. Either she could exit the house and enter the cornfield, where she could hope to lose him, or she could go up the stairs to her bedroom and hide behind the locked door, where she could hope that he couldn't break it down. Leaving her fate to chance, she flipped a coin and caught it on her wrist. It was heads. The Betty lookalike cursed and ran up the stairs._

_Eyes fixed on the screen, Jimmy and Daydream Cindy simultaneously reached into the popcorn bowl. When their hands touched, Cindy quickly removed hers, blushing visibly in the glow of the screen._

"_I-I'm sorry Jimmy," she said, unable to look Jimmy in the eyes. "If only my bowl was larger. Then we could avoid bumping hands and move on to other romantic clichés._

_The bowl Cindy was holding was about an inch in diameter. It contained exactly two pieces of popcorn._

_Another shriek came from the movie screen. Betty was pushing against her bedroom door, trying to keep the killer at bay, while the masked madman hammered at the wooden panel with everything he had._

_The sudden scream caused Cindy to seize Jimmy by the arm. Once again, she blushed when Jimmy looked at her. A few moments went by and Jimmy, smiling devilishly, slipped his arm around Cindy's shoulder. This caused the blonde to blush for the third time. She stared at Jimmy out of the corner of her eye, grazing him with a meek smile. Tenderness shone in her twin emeralds._

_Hurling her miniscule popcorn bowl over her shoulder, Cindy tackled Jimmy out of his seat and ferociously kissed him, sounding very much like a tiger while doing so._

Jimmy nodded after the daydream ended. Another daydream, another success. He had been very satisfied with his imagination lately.

* * *

Jimmy and Goddard were standing in the lobby of the movie theater. The former was peeking out the glass entrance doors every so often, hoping to spot Cindy before she arrived. Jimmy wanted to get there early in case they were delayed, as well as to give himself extra time to cool his nerves. He had planned on coming alone, but Goddard volunteered to go with him. The mechanical canine reasoned that Jimmy might need some help. In reality though, Jimmy suspected that Goddard was only interested in what films were playing.

"So here's the plan," Jimmy said. He spoke in a discreet fashion, as though people might try to eavesdrop. "We scrap the humor. I'm no good at telling jokes, and I probably never will be."

'You can say that again,' Goddard wrote on his monitor.

Jimmy shot his dog a sharp look before continuing. "We also rely less on the science. The suspension bridge effect may still come into play, since a scary or thrilling scene can serve the same effect as a roller coaster, but we're no longer including it as a key element in our strategy. I never thought I'd say this, but there are some answers that science can't provide."

The symbol 'O_O' appeared on Goddard's screen. This drew yet another glare from Jimmy. Before he could say anything however, something registered on his periphery. He glanced out the glass doors and saw that Cindy had arrived and was walking up the steps to the entrance. Jimmy leaned closely toward Goddard, anxious to finish explaining his plan.

"The idea is to use the situation and my masculine charm to my advantage. I'll go for the usual: bumping hands, grabbing each other during tense scenes, slipping my hand around her shoulder, and falling asleep next to one another. And, if the moment's right maybe even getting in that kiss. Jimmy smiled, overconfident in his abilities as usual. "To facilitate the process, I'll just flirt it up and be as smooth as possible."

A glass door opened and in strolled Cindy. She did a quick sweep of the room before locating Jimmy and Goddard. The blonde headed toward them, regarding them with a frigid stare. Jimmy gulped.

"Hey there Cindy," he said, waving once and smiling. Cindy did not smile back.

"Hi," she said in a tone that matched her eyes.

Jimmy felt his stomach drop. He hadn't counted on this. "Still upset about yesterday?" he asked, pressing his teeth together.

"Why would I be upset?" Cindy growled. "Other than getting stuck upside down for an hour, yacking up my lunch _and_ breakfast, and scarring some random kid I've never met before, I had a great time."

"You're…still upset," Jimmy answered.

"Let's just say it's a good thing you're treating me to a movie today."

"Of – Of course. I'm paying for everything."

"Right. And since I essentially lost two meals yesterday, you won't complain when I make up for it by ordering everything on the menu."

Jimmy felt a twinge of pain. He thought it originated somewhere in his wallet. He stuttered horribly as he got his next words out. "D-D-Did you say e-everything?"

"Correct again!" Cindy said without a moment's hesitation. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, sticking her nose up in defiance.

"Well maybe we can share some of the provisions, right?"

"If you want me to stay mad at you, be my guest," Cindy said, uncrossing her arms and opening her eyes.

Jimmy lowered his head. He knew a moot point when he saw one. "As you wish."

Cindy's face brightened. "Thank you, farm boy." She brushed past Jimmy, leaving him to contemplate the impending doom of his allowance. It was several seconds until Cindy's statement made its impact on Jimmy. That exchange they just had was similar to one he had seen in a movie. The girl had called the boy 'farm boy.'

Jimmy snapped to full alertness. Could it be? Did she actually mean what she had just said? Not the words themselves, but what was behind the words. Did she really feel that way about him? Did Cindy Vortex–

"So, what movie should we see?"

His train of thought interrupted, Jimmy decided to re-board at a later time. He jogged over toward Cindy, who now stood in front of the sidewall of the lobby, examining the movie posters. Goddard padded behind him.

"Hmm," Jimmy said, scanning through the posters. He stopped to focus on one that depicted a tall, lanky boy who was wearing a steel leg splint and was charging three aliens with a spear. "How about The Final Battle? I heard it got excellent reviews from the critics."

"I'm not in the mood for an action flick," Cindy said. She pointed at the poster directly in front of her. This one showed two figures lying on a beach, holding hands, and gazing up at the stars. "I want to see The Longest Night."

"A teen romance?" Jimmy said as he skeptically eyed the image. "Aw Cindy, can't we see something else?"

A dark look from Cindy told Jimmy they couldn't. He let out a dejected sigh. So much for grabbing each other during intense action scenes.

"As you wish," he said. He waited, wondering if she'd reply in the same way she had before. Cindy, however, simply brushed this aside.

"Now, minus the drinks and candy, I want everything on the menu except for a hot dog. All the sizes will be large unless directed otherwise. And don't even _think _about making any smart comments about the hot dogs…"

* * *

About midway through the seventh grade, Cindy started giving Jimmy tai-chi lessons. The purpose was in case he ever got in an off-planet fight and lost access to weapons, he could at least defend himself. Cindy had made Jimmy go through rigorous conditioning exercises, and as a result, Jimmy was actually in pretty good shape nowadays. He wasn't the most disciplined of students however, and when Cindy gave him a list of exercises to do at home, he usually ignored them. On some occasions, Jimmy wished he followed Cindy's training plan more faithfully and did the extra workouts, so he could be more athletic. This was one of those occasions.

"So…many…items…" Jimmy gasped while trying to get a better handle on the many cups, plates, and packages he was carrying. He moved in a very disorderly, zigzag fashion. One wrong step and everything would tumble to the floor. Including Jimmy. He didn't think he had the strength to get up if he fell, so he was even more careful about safeguarding his cumbersome load.

"There's no way you're going to eat all this stuff," Jimmy wheezed. He then gave Goddard a rather unfriendly look. In contrast to Jimmy, the mechanical canine was completely unburdened and hadn't offered so much as a paw to help.

"Sure I am," Cindy said. She slapped her stomach. "An active girl like me works up an appetite."

They continued their trek from the concession stand. They were heading for the corridor with their theater number when Cindy turned and peered down at Goddard. The robotic dog was shuffling along happily in front of Jimmy. The blonde furrowed her brows at Jimmy's pet.

"Why'd you bring Goddard with you?" She then added in a conciliatory manner: "No offense boy."

Goddard barked in affirmation.

"He likes movies," Jimmy said, shrugging as if even he didn't understand it.

"Really?" Cindy resumed her study of Goddard, like she was seeing him for the first time. Although she hung out almost every day with Jimmy, it still seemed like there were things she had to learn about his best mechanical friend. She knew Goddard was special, but perhaps there was more to him than she had originally thought.

'Really-really,' Goddard responded on his monitor.

Cindy smiled at this. "Well I'm impressed. You really do like watching movies, don't you boy?"

Goddard barked.

"Hey! You kids!"

Jimmy, Cindy, and Goddard all halted as they approached the theater corridor. Manning the entrance station was a squat, balding man, vested in the uniform all employees wore. The squat man looked at Jimmy and Cindy, then at Goddard. He pointed overhead, where the wall began above the large opening for the corridor.

"Didn't you see the sign?" Before Jimmy and Cindy could read it, he relayed the contents in a deep baritone. "No dooogs, allooooowwwwwed."

An irate Jimmy popped his head above a box of pizza. "Did you have to sing it?" he said, wrinkling his features in disgust.

Goddard bowed his head in embarrassment.

"It's one of my duties kid," the squat man told Jimmy. He lifted his eyebrows. "I even had to audition for the singing part in my job interview."

"Well they picked the wrong guy," Cindy said. "If there's a no dog policy, then they should have put it at the front of the building. Second, Goddard isn't even a real dog." She motioned at Goddard. "He's a machine capable of artificial intelligence built with the _shape_ and character_istics_ of a dog."

"That is correct," Goddard, said. He had chosen to speak in his monotonous robotic voice instead of using his monitor. "I cannot even pee on the rug, even though sometimes I really want to."

"But – But I–" the squat man protested.

"Let me make this easy for you," Goddard intoned. "If you let me through, then I will not spend the next two hours explaining to you why your life is unfulfilling."

The squat man's shoulders sagged at Goddard's logic. "I do spend a lot of time thinking about that," he admitted.

"So then may I pass?"

The squat man studied the floor for a minute, thinking. When he raised his head back up, he regarded Goddard and nodded with a warm smile. "Well, you seem like a pretty smart dog," he said, staring indulgently at Goddard. "Alright. You can pass."

"That is swell," Goddard said. "You have made me so happy. If I were a woman, I would find you very attractive right now."

"Aww," the squat man said, waving off Goddard's compliment and blushing. He peered at the dog with tears brimming in his eyes. "Enjoy the show."

"I will be sure to do that."

That being said, Goddard padded past the squat man and into the theater corridor. He was followed by a very impressed Jimmy and Cindy. The trio made their way along the carpeted floor, keeping their eyes peeled for theater ten, which was all the way at the end. When they passed theater eight, Jimmy stared longingly at the screen above its entrance, which indicated the movie that was showing. Theater Eight was playing 'The Final Battle'.

As he gazed at theater eight's sign, Jimmy, who wasn't paying attention to where he was going, crashed right into something. Rather, he crashed right into some_one_. Jimmy groaned as he fell on his back, along with all of Cindy's snacks. He lifted himself off the ground and pushed off a particularly large container of nachos. He looked at the person he had collided with.

"_You!" _Francis spat, pointing at Jimmy with an accusatory finger. Jimmy couldn't help but notice that this finger was also bandaged. As the genius got a good look at Francis, he saw that there were many things about the boy's appearance suggesting malaise. Beside the bandage on his finger, he also had gauze wrapped around his forehead and his right arm was propped in a sling. He had a very noticeable bald patch in his long blond hair and dark, heavy bags underlining his eyes. In addition, his overall demeanor was one of a nervous wreck.

"You, you stay away from me!" Francis ordered. The nervous boy's eyes bulged as Jimmy rose to his feet. "Stay away!"

"Francis, what – what happened?"

The blond teen's rapid breathing slowed down a little. Jimmy's question appeared to have placated him. "Look, I didn't sleep last night okay?" he said. He held his arms out. "I've been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours."

Cindy drew up beside Jimmy while the genius scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I heard you had a little sewer mishap," Jimmy said.

Francis scoffed at this. "That? Hah! My night was just getting _started_."

"What happened to your hair?" Cindy asked, pointing at the bald spot.

Francis looked warily at the blonde. "I got in a fight with a bunch of sewer rats," he said, as though unsure whether Cindy was a safe person or not.

Cindy crossed her arms. "Sewer rats?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"They set a trap for me!" Francis said. A frown flashed across his face. "They're actually quite cunning."

Jimmy and Cindy didn't know how to respond to this.

"Anyway, you two vomit monsters just stay away from me, okay? You guys already ruined one of my favorite outfits and I'm not letting you do it again."

Jimmy turned to Cindy, about to suggest that they leave, when he saw a painful expression on her face. He traced her line of sight over to Francis. Smack-dab in the middle of the sweater the boy wore was a greasy smear of butter. It must have gotten there when he and Jimmy collided.

"What are you two…?" Francis peered down to see what Jimmy and Cindy were staring at. When he spotted the butter stain, he clapped his hands against his jowls in a very faithful imitation of The Scream. "NO! NOT MY SWEATER!"

Tears began trickling down Francis's cheeks as Jimmy and Cindy watched in uncomfortable silence. "My grandma-ma knitted this for me!" he blubbered. "It was the last present she gave me before she turned into a hobo."

Cindy couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Your grandma's a hobo?"

"Just stay away from me okay?" Francis hollered. He dashed diagonally across the corridor, heading straight for theater nine. This theater was also showing 'The Longest Night.' "I'll watch this film. Teenage romance always cheers me up."

Jimmy and Cindy stared at the entrance to theater nine long after Francis disappeared behind the doors. There weren't many things to say after scenes like that occurred. What broke the silence was when Cindy turned and examined the mess of containers Jimmy had dropped on the floor. It didn't take long for Jimmy to notice this. Upon doing so, he cracked a nervous grin.

"So, hehe," he said. "Are you gonna help me pick those up?"

* * *

It was with great relief that Jimmy (and Jimmy alone) finally set down Cindy's many containers of food. They had chosen seats in the eleventh row, which was fine by Jimmy since that meant he only had to climb one flight of stairs. He carefully assembled Cindy's spread on the two chairs to his left. He still thought that she had ordered too much food for her own good, and he wanted to place himself in between her and the enormous pile.

Cindy, as it turned out, had other plans. Instead of sitting next to Jimmy on his right, she sat three chairs over on Jimmy's left, next to the food pile but away from the genius. A second later, Goddard hopped up on Cindy's rejected seat to Jimmy's right. The robotic dog opened his chest panel in response to Jimmy's drooping facial features.

'Oh the things that happen to you,' Goddard typed. 'I changed my mind. I think that you would make an excellent comedian.'

"One more word out of you and I'm uninstalling your personality!" Jimmy threatened.

Goddard closed his panel and faced the blank movie screen.

Jimmy fumed silently as he waited for the trailers to begin playing. The crunching and munching coming from Cindy's direction only served to worsen his mood. She had a buffalo wing in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. Both had significant bites taken out of them.

_She really does work up an appetite_, Jimmy thought.

He continued staring at Cindy until, perhaps sensing that she was being watched, she turned and stared back. Although it was difficult to determine under the dim lighting, Cindy appeared to pale, seemingly self-conscious that someone had seen her feasting so shamelessly. After a closer inspection, Jimmy realized that she also had buffalo sauce sticking to her nose and cheeks.

Jimmy cupped a hand around his mouth. "You got a little…" He wiped his nose and cheeks with an imaginary napkin, demonstrating Cindy's predicament. The blonde picked up a real napkin from amongst her containers and set about dabbing her face. She pulled the napkin away and looked to Jimmy for confirmation.

"You still have a little on your nose," Jimmy whispered. He spoke discreetly since he knew how embarrassed Cindy got about such things.

Cindy dabbed herself again with the napkin. Jimmy shook his head. The stain was still there. When Cindy dabbed herself for a third time and failed, Jimmy got up from his seat and walked over to hers. Without a second thought or moment's hesitation, he plucked Cindy's napkin away from her, brushing her fingers in the process, and pressed it against her nose.

"There," he said after removing the last of the sauce. "Good as new."

He was about to crumple up the napkin and set it in a coaster when he saw that Cindy was still staring at him. He meant to retract his gaze but found that he couldn't. Those mysterious green orbs held him with their cryptic power. His hand was only an inch from her face. He brought it even closer, index finger slightly extended. How he longed to graze her cheek. To feel her skin beneath his touch. She sat completely still, her complex eyes never leaving his. Waiting. Watching. Abiding. Jimmy held his breath, heart thrashing like a caged animal as he contemplated his next move.

Jimmy sighed. He had almost decided to withdraw his hand, ready to throw in the towel, when for some unknown reason he kept it there. Like he was controlled by some foreign intelligence, Jimmy stuck out his thumb and used it and his already extended finger to lightly pinch Cindy's nose. He turned it side-to-side, causing her head to wiggle in synchrony. He then stopped and resumed staring at her, still clamping her nose.

The two looked at each other. And then burst out laughing.

Jimmy finally let go of Cindy, relieved at hearing genuine laughter from her again. He had been growing worried that she might never forgive him for what had happened at Retroland. Her wrinkled nose and high-pitched giggles loosened the tightened ball that had formed in his chest. Once again, Cindy had demonstrated her influence over his emotions.

"Stop l-l-laughing Neutron!" Cindy cackled, trying to do the same herself but utterly failing. "It's not that f-f-funny!" She extricated a tear using her knuckle and sounded out the last of her giggles. Her lips were formed into a pleased smile. Jimmy didn't know if it was his imagination or if she really was harboring that same relieved feeling he thought he detected yesterday.

"Well that was unexpected," Cindy said, chuckling again. She looked at Jimmy, her amusement gradually melting into appraisal. Her twin emeralds lingered on him for one-tenth of a second longer than necessary. "Oh alright, you've suffered enough. Come on, let's move some of these containers so you can sit next to me."

The two teens quickly relocated the plastic and paper packages and bowls to Cindy's left. Soon enough, Jimmy was seated on Cindy's direct right. Goddard floated over so he was sitting on Jimmy's right as well. The trailers soon began playing and Cindy passed Jimmy one of her personal pizzas. A feeling of contentment settled over the genius. Things were good again between him and Cindy, and he now had his happening. He intended on making the most of it.

'Smooth and flirtatious', Jimmy told himself. He let his confidence well up inside him. Time to make a move.

Giving a big fake yawn, Jimmy stretched out his left arm and brought it around the back of Cindy's seat, just below her shoulders. He peered at Cindy out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling back at him. He waited for her to notice his arm, to make some kind of reaction, but she never did. Impossibly, she seemed completely unaware that he had just performed one of the oldest tricks in the book. She just smiled at him for a second longer and returned her attention to the screen.

Jimmy waited several minutes while the trailers ran, but it made no difference. Cindy never once noticed his boldly extended limb. The genius clenched his jaws together. It appeared he'd have to up the ante.

As inconspicuously as possible, Jimmy lifted his hand off the back of Cindy's seat. He carefully guided it through the air, closer to Cindy's head, until it was mere centimeters from a dangling lock of golden hair. He swallowed his reservations and gingerly grabbed a hold of that lock with his thumb and forefinger. Jimmy instantly nailed his gaze to the screen. He began playing with Cindy's hair.

An intensely dopey bout of pleasure stabbed Jimmy's heart. He wanted to protrude his front teeth and laugh out loud in a goofy voice. Even Nick Dean wouldn't have attempted a move so perilous. Jimmy waited eagerly for Cindy's response. There was no way she wouldn't react to this maneuver.

And react she did. Cindy's hand immediately went for her besieged hair lock and her fingers enclosed around Jimmy's. The blonde's head turned to the left, then to the right, where she saw that Jimmy was in fact the culprit. She frowned at him while using her left hand to remove her hair from his grip. She brought the tampered-with strand in front of her eyes, inspecting it. A grin suddenly burst on her face.

"Hey, you got my dreadlock out!" she exclaimed, happy as could be. She released her hair and patted Jimmy on the shoulder in a way that was anything other than romantic. "Ugh, I've been trying to get rid of that thing for days. Thanks Jimmy!"

Jimmy ground his teeth together. His confident mood was beginning to waver. He sat in silence for a few minutes, mulling over his next move. He supposed he'd have to be more direct. If he wanted to make his intentions known, he would need a straightforward approach. One that couldn't be rationalized or misinterpreted.

Jimmy took a deep breath and exhaled. There was no going back after this one. "So, Cindy," he said, leaning closer to her. He let his eyes droop to a half-lidded level. He read somewhere that females loved that. "You look, shall we say, rather…hot…today."

Like the previous day, Cindy just stared at Jimmy, and then her eyelids fluttered in rapid succession. His heart beating wildly, his brain ceasing to function, Jimmy went for broke. "L-like lava. Hot like lava. Like the molten liquid bubbling down the peak of an active volcano. K-Kīlauea perhaps?"

Cindy continued staring at Jimmy. She then wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist. "I know, what is it with this place?" She clutched her shirt and flapped it back and forth. "The air-conditioning must be busted. It's like ninety degrees in here."

Jimmy was about to protest when he noticed, to his consternation, that it was actually quite hot in the theater room. His own shirt had grown slightly damp, though he couldn't be exactly sure whether this was due to temperature or anxiety. He crossed his arms and sat back in his seat with a flump, a very mean look on his face. Foiled again. Why was it that none of his evil plans ever worked?

As he was pouting, the genius glanced over at Goddard. The mechanical canine was looking directly at him. Jimmy could have sworn that if Goddard had the ability, he would have been smirking right then. Since he had no facial elasticity however, Goddard simply opened his front panel and entered his thoughts onto his screen.

'You are doing it all wrong.'

Jimmy's lip curled at this. "What do you mean by that?" he whispered. "My moves were perfect. It's her defense system that's impenetrable."

Goddard shook his head. 'You are still not being straightforward enough and your timing needs improvement. Perhaps it would be best if I showed you an example of what you should be striving for.'

Jimmy snorted. "Oh, and what do you know about hitting on girls?"

'Just sit back and watch. I will show you how it is done.'

In spite of his churlish attitude, Jimmy couldn't help but be mildly impressed as Goddard padded self-assuredly over to Cindy's seat. He wondered what Goddard's strategy would be.

Cindy was stuffing herself with popcorn, interestedly watching the current trailer, which was about a young girl spending the weekend at the house of a boy she secretly loved, when she felt and heard a loud clunking. She peered downward and found that the source of the clunking was none other than Goddard. The robotic dog was looking at her, tongue hanging out, panting happily.

He was sitting on her lap.

"Uh," Cindy said, not sure what to do or say. "Good boy?"

Goddard's front panel opened and he began typing. He was positioned at such an angle that Jimmy could see the words appearing on his monitor. 'Yes, that is correct. I am a good boy. A very good boy. However, if you prefer bad boys, I can be one of those as well. I happen to excel at both.'

Cindy was aware that her lower jaw was hanging down, but she couldn't seem to bring it back up.

'So how about that national debt? Do you think they should try to balance it by reducing spending, increasing revenue, or both?'

"I…you…"

'If you are not doing anything later, how about we go back to my place after the movie? We could play a rousing game of fetch, and then, if you would like, I could put on a smooth jazz record.'

Cindy jabbed a finger at Goddard's nose. "Okay, you're seriously starting to bug me!"

'That is quite all right. I actually prefer you when you are angry.'

Cindy waved her fist at Goddard. "Listen you bucket of bolts! I tweaked your language algorithms for you and I can just as easily un-tweak them. If I see one more stupid remark on your monitor, I'll–"

Cindy broke off mid-sentence. She felt a sudden extra weight drop onto her right thigh. When she bent her head to see what it was, she found a small pile of screws, nuts, and washers on her leg, right underneath Goddard's hindquarters. Cindy's visage contorted. "What is _that_?" she screeched.

'Oh my goodness,' Goddard typed. 'This is so embarrassing. I could just about die.'

"I better go wash this off!" Cindy exclaimed. She stood up, scattering Goddard's metallic droppings on the floor. She went to brush her pants off but decided against it. "Biological or not, who knows where that stuff has been?" She threw her hands to the side with a huff and stormed off.

"Wait, Cindy!" Jimmy said, raising his hand as he tried to hold her off. "It's one-hundred percent sterile, I swear!"

"It's one-hundred percent gross is what it is!" Cindy snapped back, not slowing down a bit. Jimmy watched in frustration as she marched down the aisle and disappeared around the corner. He threw Goddard a very nasty look as his faithful companion padded past him.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Jimmy said.

Goddard hopped on his seat next to Jimmy and re-opened his chest panel. 'You are correct. Her defense system is impenetrable.'

* * *

Jimmy slammed open the door to the men's bathroom, not caring whether he struck someone in the face, which fortunately he didn't. He stalked his way over to the urinals, barely able to keep his anger at bay. It was bad enough when he embarrassed himself in front of Cindy, but Goddard too? Since Jimmy had built Goddard, he was a reflection of Jimmy himself. If Cindy took issue with the robotic dog, what would she think of Jimmy?

These things and more flurried through Jimmy's mind as he unzipped his pants and started conducting his business. He was thankful that, for the time being, there was no one else in the restroom. This gave him the opportunity to talk out loud, which he'd been finding very therapeutic lately.

"Hopefully she's not too upset about Goddard," Jimmy told himself. "Although it's possible that this will work to my advantage. Next to Goddard, I'll look like Prince Charming. Not that I wasn't charming already, but every man can use a boost now and then."

Jimmy waited a few seconds, but his bladder still hadn't finished emptying. _Gee, I got to go easier on the Purple Flurp. _Since it appeared he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Jimmy resumed his monologue.

"There still are a few things I haven't tried yet. And it's possible that I'll have to plan more outings after today. Making a move on Cindy is turning out to be more complicated than I expected." Jimmy sighed. "Still. Slow and steady wins the race Jimmy. You just gotta hang in there."

Jimmy heard the bathroom door open and halted his talking. He kept his eyes on the wall ahead, hoping that the newcomer hadn't heard what he had been saying. All he needed was someone he knew to have caught him. Once that happened, the rumors would spread, and any advances he wanted to make on Cindy would triple in difficulty.

The newcomer settled at the urinal next to Jimmy. The genius rolled his eyes. There was another free urinal on the far left. Didn't this guy know about the man rule?

"Hey, what are you up to?"

Reluctantly, Jimmy craned his neck to the left. He saw the familiar chubby face and bulky body of Bob the plumber. The boy genius wanted to vanish on the spot. Why did he keep running into irritating people? This guy wasn't as bad as Francis, but still.

As best as he could, Jimmy smiled up at Bob. "Oh nothing," he said in a nonchalant tone. "Just…just peeing."

"Oh yeah?" Bob asked with a smile. "Good for you." The big man left Jimmy in silence for a moment.

Jimmy really wished that he hadn't drunk so much Purple Flurp.

"So you and me are pretty much pals now, right?"

Jimmy looked up at Bob. He couldn't believe his ears. "Well a-actually, we just met yesterday."

"Do you ever watch the Ultralord show?" Bob's smile didn't falter for a minute. Either he truly didn't recognize Jimmy's indifference, or he simply chose to ignore it.

"Actually, I detest cartoons."

"Remember that one where Ultralord defeats Robofiend on that giant cruiser? Only he tries to implode the cruiser, knowing that he has to sacrifice himself to beat Robofiend? Man that was a good episode."

Jimmy decided not to say anything. There was no point in even talking anymore.

"I uh," Bob began, trailing off. He gave a nervous laugh, like he was debating whether to say something. "I wrote an Ultralord fanfiction last night," he said, nodding his head, though more to himself than to Jimmy. "I wanted to expand on that scene. You know, the one where Ultralord thinks he's sacrificing himself?" Bob set his gaze on the wall in front of him. "You could check it out if you want. My penname's Bobtheplumber. It's all one word." Bob nodded to himself again. "I haven't gotten any reviews yet but I figured, you know, I'm a new author so it'll take 'em a while to see if I got the goods or not. Small fandom, you know?"

Jimmy didn't respond.

"Plus, everyone there loves Ultralord Robofiend slash so much that I can't expect to get too many reviews if I don't write about it, know what I mean?"

* * *

Jimmy all but collapsed on his seat next to Cindy. Between meeting odd people and trying to win the heart of the girl he loved, the past two days had taken quite a toll on him. He gazed expectantly at the blonde, wondering what her current mood would be.

"You took a bathroom break too?" she asked. Her tone had a soothing effect on Jimmy. She harbored no resentment toward him over what had happened with Goddard.

"Yeah," Jimmy said. His voice lowered to a mumble. "It was really weird."

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing," he replied with a smile. Cindy smiled back and returned to watching the film, where the two main characters were engrossed in building argument. She reached out to grab the last bowl of popcorn, which was half full. Jimmy was impressed. He had thought Cindy wouldn't be able to eat all her food, but he had been wrong. Granted, he had ended up helping, but it was still an impressive feat.

As Jimmy watched Cindy put her hand inside the popcorn bowl, he saw his chance. Quickly, without even thinking about it, he threw his own hand inside, so that their fingers touched. Cindy quickly looked at the bowl and then at Jimmy.

"Whoops," he said, withdrawing his hand so that he could raise both of his in a shrugging gesture. "How clumsy of me."

"That's okay Jimmy," Cindy said. She giggled. "It's not like I have cooties or anything, right?"

"Well," Jimmy said, doing his best Jet Fusion impression. "I haven't analyzed you under a microscope yet." He pointed at her and lifted his eyebrows, like it was the coolest thing he could have done.

Cindy gave him a rather odd look and turned away. Jimmy kicked himself on the ankle.

What happened next more than made up for Jimmy's gaffe. A loud clap of thunder rumbled from the theater's speakers, which was felt by everyone in their seats. Cindy grabbed Jimmy's arm so suddenly that it took him nearly five seconds to realize what had happened. He observed her slim white fingers, forgetting to savor the way they felt on his skin.

"Sorry," Cindy said, releasing him immediately. "I just wasn't expecting the thunder."

Jimmy stared at Cindy's profile more heavily than he had the entire day thus far. His eyes went to her shoulders, her limbs, her midsection. He recalled everything he had ever read about body language and tried to apply that knowledge to his blonde friend. He remembered her farm boy comment, the way she looked at him when he was cleaning her nose, how she had seized his arm just now. What did it all mean? Did Cindy have any feelings for him? Was she attempting to send him small signals, hoping that he'd eventually catch on? Was it like Libby said, how Cindy wanted the guy to make the first move? He remembered when he was under the influence of the love potion, how she, who hadn't been exposed to any pheromones, seemed to get mad every time he failed to take the romantic initiative. Was that what she wanted him to do now? To take the initiative?

Jimmy gulped. This was a big decision. A big one. He could make a major move right now. The timing was perfect, and it was possible that Cindy even wanted him to do it. All he had to do was lean forward. Just give her that kiss before she could react, in the darkened movie theater, just like he had imagined while he was waiting in the lobby with Goddard. He could do it. He could end all the reservations, and questions, and suffering, once-and-for-all. He could find out whether Cindy felt the same way about him by making his move right here and right now.

He hesitated. Her eyes were fixed on the screen. She wouldn't even see him coming. He felt a brief moment's panic and then squashed it. He made up his mind. He was going in.

Jimmy hesitated one last time. Then he thrust his head forward and went for the kill.

He got about a foot away from Cindy when suddenly, she raised her bowl of popcorn in the air and brought it in between her cheek and Jimmy's lips. The boy genius wound up planting a big fat kiss on the paper bowl, right over the 'O' in 'Retro-Theater.' There he let his lips remain. Jimmy was an incurable self-punisher, and he felt that he fully deserved to make out with an inanimate object.

"Hey Jimmy, did they give us any extra packets of butter? Jimmy?" Cindy retracted her bowl and found Jimmy staring at her from a rather close distance. She pursed her lips in surprise. "Oh. I didn't see you there."

Jimmy just gazed at her. He was moments away from giving up all his belongings and joining Captain Betty on the high seas.

"Do you have any extra butter packets?" Cindy repeated. Slowly, the world began to make sense again to Jimmy. He shook his head in response to Cindy's question.

"Darn," the blonde said. "This popcorn's so dry. I guess I'll head over to the concession stand after this scene and get some more."

Jimmy had finally returned to reality when Cindy had finished speaking. He placed his fingertips on her shoulder. "No need. Goddard has extra butter in his condiments reservoir."

Cindy cocked an eyebrow. "Condiments reservoir?"

Jimmy nodded. "Comes in handy." He waved Goddard over. "C'mon boy. Let's give Cindy her butter."

Cindy eyed the robotic dog suspiciously. "As long as he doesn't start hitting on me again."

"Don't worry," Jimmy said with a laugh. "I think he learned his lesson."

A taciturn Goddard hopped onto Jimmy's lap and turned ninety degrees, so that his right side was facing Cindy's bowl. Jimmy guided the bowl closer to Goddard's right. He lifted a panel on Goddard's left side and began pressing buttons. He tapped a final button when he saw the icon of a stick of butter enter the small screen above the keypad. He waited, expecting the butter to come out Goddard's right side any minute.

Unexpectedly, Goddard shuddered like he was experiencing an internal earthquake, and Jimmy heard the sound of highly pressurized liquid being released. He watched in horror as a spray of purple fluid hurtled through the air. It landed with a splash on someone at the end of the fifth row.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jimmy glared furiously at Goddard. "Did you mix up your vials again?" he shouted

"Uh, Jimmy? Cindy tapped nervously on Jimmy's arm, pointing over to the aisle, where a sprawled figure laid convulsing on the floor. Jimmy rose to his feet to get a better look. Rage rattled his skull as he recognized the figure.

"He _ran_ into the _other_ theater, not this one!" Jimmy bellowed.

"Why would you do this to me?" Francis wailed. His soaked arms were bent in the air at odd angles as he rolled around in agony. He couldn't have known the identity of his attacker, but he addressed whoever it was nonetheless. "Why? I'm allergic to Purple Flurrrrrp!"

"Oh come off it!" Jimmy said. "No one's allergic to Purple Flurp! I bet he's faking it!" The genius wasn't normally so crude, but he had had it with this kid always ruining his moments with Cindy. He had to be doing it on purpose; there was just no other explanation.

"I think he's breaking out," Cindy remarked.

Sure enough, under the glow of the movie screen, Jimmy made out faint hives blossoming on Francis's soda-splashed skin. Angry though he was, Jimmy's apathy had its limits. He grumbled under his breath as he moved down the row past Cindy, en route for the suffering boy.

"My sweater!" Francis moaned as he rolled. "My beautiful sweater. The last thing I loved in the world, ruined."

Jimmy had exited his row and was starting to walk down the aisle toward Francis when something made him leap onto a nearby seat. Several large, dark objects went by him. As Jimmy watched them, he got the strange impression that the objects were alive. His eyes grew wide when the objects finally reached Francis. They actually began positioning themselves around the teen. When Jimmy got a better look at them under the light from the movie screen, he finally confirmed their identity.

"What's this?" Francis said. He had been so busy somersaulting that he hadn't noticed the seven furry creatures assembled at his hands, feet, head and torso. He looked at them in disbelief. "What is this?"

The furry creatures began dragging Francis away. They did so at a slow but steady clip.

"Come on!" Francis shouted. He gestured wildly at the seven large rats that were tugging him along the theater carpet. "You got to be kidding me! I get hosed by a random wave of Purple Flurp, and now _this_?"

The movie forgotten, all eyes in the theater watched as Francis was pulled away.

"_Who_ does this happen to? _Who_ gets carried away by rodents? Anyone? Anyone?"

No one answered.

"Hey, hey wait a minute. Wait a minute!" A hint of fear entered Francis's furious tone. "Where are you guys taking me? I _said_, where are you taking me?" Francis struggled to remove himself from the rat's grips, but they were surprisingly strong. The androgynous teen jerked and twisted in vain. "I know what's happening! You're taking me back to the sewer aren't you? Aren't you?"

The rats paid Francis no mind. Unperturbed, they continued their steady work.

"Mommy look," said a little girl sitting at an end seat. She tugged on her mother's arm and pointed over at the strange procession moving down the aisle. The little girl suddenly laughed, as only small children could. "Those rats are funny!" she said.

"Help, somebody!" Francis screeched, doubling his efforts at escaping. Even so, his thrashing was futile. "They're taking me back to their lair! I don't want to go back I tell you! You have no idea what it's like down there!"

Francis's words had no effect on the other moviegoers. The simply watched the outrageous spectacle unfolding before their very eyes.

"They're not normal rats!" Francis hollered. His entourage had reached the end of the aisle. They began rounding the corner. Francis's body started disappearing feet-first. "They're not normal I swear!"

Francis left claw marks in the carpet as the rats finally dragged him out of sight.

"My grandmother turned into a _hobo_!"

**Disclaimer – I don't own Jimmy Neutron nor any other referenced media material.**

**AN: **Hello you crazy cats and dogs. I apologize for taking so long to update Make a Move, and for my general lack of fanfic activity for the past couple of months or so. Like so many of us all know, life is a fluid business, and it can be difficult to predict when things can come up. I don't know how long it will be until I return to updating, but rest assured - I have not departed the JN fandom just yet.

I am uploading this Author's Note to make an announcement. In **three weeks**, on **Saturday, September 22nd, myself, quietthinker, and EL CHUPACABRA** (a writer once active within the fandom who has since deleted his stories) will be making a video. As it turns out, we've all stalked each other and found out where each other lives, and whaddya know - we're within driving distance. You won't see our video in theaters, but you should find it sometime afterward on youtube via your friendly neighborhood internet connection (maybe Sunday, September 23rd). Basically, we plan to discuss our stories, Jimmy Neutron, writing in general, and any other questions you might have.

Please, we encourage you to message us with any questions (appropriate ones that is, lol) you might have. We'd really love to interact with you.

I've also repeated this message in my profile page and at the end of The Longest Night - just wanted to increase our exposure for this event :)


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